Cerberus Rising
by X Prodigy
Summary: Mass Effect 2 Parody. Recruited by the organisation of Cerberus, the thief Red X must recruit a team of the deadliest beings in the galaxy to stop the threat of the Collectors. They say it's a suicide mission, but X is determined to prove them wrong!
1. XHumanity

Cerberus Rising 

Stage Zero: The Life, Death and Rebirth of Red X 

Prologue: X/Humanity 

The intense light of the burning star only managed to illuminate a fraction of the endless darkness that was space. Every few seconds it fluctuated, breathing out a burst of bright yet unnatural fire against the solid black gloom.

Its colours switched between a fiery orange to an unnerving white, as if it was undecided about which tone to take. Its constant pulsating gave the impression of a slow beating heart.

The kind of heart that pumped at a rhythmic pace…right before the cancer took it and rendered it rotting and hollow.

Observing this phenomenon through the thick veil of transparent-plated glass were the shadowy figures of two darkly dressed characters. The first stood facing the window, arms tightly wrapped around her chest, a look of unease plastered across her face.

"This is a huge risk we're taking; that you're taking…" she thought aloud, turning her pale blue eyes to the man sitting on the large, steel coated chair. She gained no response from him, but continued her train of thought nonetheless.

"Humanity has ascended to such power in such a short amount of time; we have the faith of the entire galaxy, making new technological breakthroughs daily, alliances with other species have never been greater…and still it's not enough" she turned around fully this time, exposing her well-built feminine figure.

She tossed back a few strands of blonde hair that had fallen out of place, putting her gloved hands of her hips, her body language showed discomfort and annoyance at the course of action they were about to undertake. Her outfit was that military style, only tailored to her exact size and trimmed along her arms and thighs. It was dyed a deep red, which only further served to reflect the emblem of the wolf that was stitched under her right collarbone.

"Humanity's saviours have beaten some pretty insane odds; interstellar terrorist organisations, sadist cults, the Cybermen incursion, even the First Contact War, but we both know that's nothing compared to what's coming" she spoke out as she walked over to the man in the chair, a fluent British accent flowing from her voice.

"The Daleks are still out there" she stated.

The man in the chair did not flinch, nor show any sign of agitation. He only lit up another cigarette, and inhaled its contents. The woman could not help but feel slightly unnerved as she stared down at him, his eyes being a perfect blend of bright white and nuclear green. His gaze would have shaken any man, but she held her ground.

"And it's our job to stop them" he declared, exhaling the grey wisps of air in one breath.

The woman sighed, knowing that reasoning with him was out of the question, once he decided on which course to take, there was no way of stopping him, only standing with him or getting the hell out of his way.

"But why him? Why choose him of all people to lead the attack? He's only a thief" she stated, the annoyance of the situation sewn into her bitter words.

The man in the chair simply responded by opening a console by his right hand, and typed in a few key codes. Automatically several holographic images appeared before the pair – each displaying the same person.

The eerie stare of a man where a black and grey mask in the fashion of a skull glared back at the pair. Painted across his right eye was the scarlet red of the letter 'x', covering most of the mask's forehead.

"The suit itself is a powerful tool, but the man inside is only interesting in serving himself, he'll never join our cause" she replied, peering up at the mask.

"Better the devil you know" the man responded, breaking apart the tip of his cigarette in a nearby ashtray.

"We _know_ he won't join us out of freewill, it'd be better for us if we use the man who created the suit, at least he believes in the morals we do, even if he doesn't exactly share our methods"

The sounds of several other codes being inputted cut the conversation; the holographic pictures disappeared and were instead replaced by what appeared to be a large selection of video recordings.

"That group of vigilantes believe in doing things by the book, they'll be no use to us, they'll probably try to bring down this organisation on sight if they knew about its existence, besides…" he pushed last of the key codes in, the recordings began to play, he brought out a small glass and poured himself what appeared to be a strong whiskey.

"This man is far stronger and far more willing to go outside the bindings of the law, as for his ethics…I wouldn't say it was all black and white"

* * *

"_Who are you?" _

"_If I wanted you to know that, would I be wearing a mask?" with a swift punch to the jaw, the leader of the young vigilante group fell to the floor, while the clear white eyes of the grim mask stood over him, victoriously. _

_The recording showed the inside of a warehouse, four individuals dressed in peculiar outfits were surrounding a fifth figure, dressed in a black costume with a skull-fashioned mask. He wore two grey gloves as well as a belt, each sharing the insignia of a blood red 'x' shape. Draped around his shoulders was a tattered cape that fell to the back of his carves, almost meeting the skull-buckled boots that he wore. _

"_Come on kids, x marks the spot" the man taunted, his voice distorted by a metallic, almost robotic sound, as he pointed to the 'x' pattern over the right side of his chest._

_With almost inhuman agility he leapt high into the air, back flipping behind the five. The first of the two attackers; a woman draped in a blue cloak and a man whose body had been half converted into a cybernetic state, charged forward. While one began speaking in a nonhuman language, the other's right arm instantly converted into some form of weapon. _

_X (that was what he had been referred to earlier) on instinct thrust his hand forward; the 'x' pattern on the inside of his left palm briefly lit up before unleashing a projectile at the pair. As it came close to both of them, its brightness reached its peak and several bursts of red lightning reached out for both of them. The pair screamed as the electricity consumed them and knocked them to the floor. _

"_Looks like you got your wires crossed" X grinned, but it was short lived as several green bolts of fire rained down upon him. _

_He smoothly evaded them before reaching the back of the warehouse, he jumped back and pressed his feet against the dusty steel to launch himself into the air, right passed his airborne assailant. She tried to land a hit on his chest, but with sudden grace managed to corkscrew out of the way and quickly meet the ground. He whipped around just in time to see her prepare for another charge, and in response brought both hands together to release a king-sized 'x' pattern that on contact pushed the girl back and trapped her against the wall. _

"_You know cutie…" X purred as he reached up and brought her chin close to his mask. _

"_The only crime here is that you hadn't gone out on a-" he was interrupted by the girl's eyes, as they violently turned an emerald green colour and send out a violent wave of energy that knocked X right back across the warehouse. _

_If the force of impact hadn't shaken him so much, the masked man might have been blushing in embarrassment for such a careless mistake, but he quickly remedied that when he saw another of the costumed crusaders starting to make an attack run; this one having the ability to take the properties of different animals. _

_Taking the form of a savage bear, the fourth attacker sprinted, heavy paws shaking the ground beneath it. But much to the predator's dismay, the prey had another trick up his sleeve, as he slammed his hand to the ground, releasing a beam of red light that cut the ground in an 'x' pattern. _

"_Watch your step" X grinned as he watched the bear fall through the earth. _

_It wasn't long before the final contender began charging, not surprisingly it was the leader from before. Dressed in almost the opposite colours of his masked counterpart, the boy wonder, Robin, clenched his fist as he charged forward. _

"_I won't let you get away with-" _

_Robin felt the familiar stinging of his face meeting the hard floor, as an 'x' projectile struck his feet and bound them tight, leaving him momentarily incapacitated. X stood above him, grinning under his mask. _

"_Better luck next time kid, and thanks for the suit"

* * *

_

_The recording switched to inside what appeared to be some sort of chemical facility; X and Robin were caught up inside a dance of death, each evading, blocking and sending numerous gadgets of destruction the other's way. _

_Snarling, Robin whipped out his signature weapon; the steel bow staff. He stood in a defensive pose, almost inviting the other masked figure to try and fight him. In response, X raised his fists; where the outer 'x' patterns on both his hands took physical shape, turning themselves into deadly blades. _

_Within the space of a breath, both combatants were engaged a fierce, duel, each trying to either smash or cut the other to pieces. Eventually, both weapons collided, forcing the pair into a stalemate. _

"_Why did you steal the suit? What are you planning to do with it?" Robin yelled out. _

"…_Whatever I want" X commented slyly, using the suit's superior strength to force Robin back a couple of steps, he retracted his blades and glared at the suit's original owner. _

"_Not everyone wants to be the villain kid, I'm a thief; I'm not threatening you precious city, just looking out for number one" he explained. _

"_So you're not psychotic, you're just selfish!" Robin snarled, anger boiling inside of him that such a weapon was in the hands of a man like him. _

"_Lighten up chuckles, I'm not such a bad guy…once you get to know me" X chuckled, holding up his hands almost in surrender, before immediately lashing out with two projectiles form his palms, sending Robin flying.

* * *

_

"_Uhhhh…okay, who were the moon men?" X thought aloud, in pain as he came out of his unconscious state. That was when a bright light lit up beneath him, as well as several prison bars that rose and left him in a canary-like cage. _

"_Criminals, just like you" Robin's aggressive was heard as he entered the scene, standing by a computer console that fed directly to the cage X was imprisoned in. _

"_C'mon kid, you don't think this little play pen can hold me" X taunted, grabbing two of the main bars, glaring at the boy wonder. _

_In reply, Robin pressed a switch on the console, and several volts of electricity surged through the bars, causing X to fall back in from the bars. _

"_You don't even care do you? A madman just got enough xynothium to level the city, and it's entirely your fault!" Robin accused. _

"_Don't you mean; our fault" X responded innocently. _

"_At least I'm going to do something about it! And if you cared for anyone other than yourself, you'd be helping me!" Robin growled, venom infused into his words. _

"_Sorry kid, some guys don't like to play the hero"

* * *

_

_Robin was holding on for dear life; he was inside the base of the madmen that had taken the mass quantities of the deadly chemical that was xynothium, holding onto a broken ledge hundreds of feet above the ground. Falling meant certain death, but perhaps that would be the lucky way out, as the insane professor had his precious xynothium powered cannon aimed straight for him. _

"_Okay, good-boy, who should I disintegrate first? You…or your pretty friend" Professor Chang grinned his sick smile, redirecting the trajectory of the laser right towards the scarlet redhead below. _

"_Starfire!" Robin called out, but it was too late, he lost his grip and he began to plummet. _

_Chang was laughing in sick pleasure at his conquest, but was suddenly silenced when an 'x' shaped shuriken struck his computer console, followed by a dozen more, causing it to explode in his face. _

_Robin screamed as he fell to the cold earth, but then felt the wind get taken out of him as a gloved arm snatched his collar and threw him across the other side of the room. He turned to see X holding onto the bars of the ledge, a smug look crossed the boy wonder's face. _

"_I thought you didn't like to play the hero?" Robin grinned. _

"_Doesn't mean I don't know how"

* * *

_

_It was day now, and the recording focused upon what appeared to be a long stretch of road across a mountainous pass. Clashing midway were Robin and X, each of them on their respective motorcycles, struggling between lashing out with fists and weapons, and keeping their wheels on the ground. _

"_So what's in the case?" X asked cockily. _

"_None of your business!" Robin snapped back. _

"_We'll see about that!" X yelled as he slammed his vehicle into his opponent's_

_Robin whipped out his bow staff and tried to smash X's masked face into the tar pavement, but was cut short when X's wrist blade cut the weapon into pieces. He then took the lead and revved across the road. _

_This continued for several minutes until both of them were reaching the finishing line, the villain that had stolen Robin's personal belonging out in front. _

"_The case means nothing to you! It's only valuable to me!" Robin yelled out over the roar of the engines. _

"_I don't know about that, I can think of a lot of people who would want to buy it off me after I win!" X yelled back, referring Robin's gaze to further down the track, where a growing mass of villains in their own style vehicles were quickly gaining ground.

* * *

_

_The finishing line was mere yards away; the leading villain had decided to make things more interesting, unleashing several bombs on an artificially frozen track. Both masked mean swiftly evaded each bomb, until X stole the lead from Robin – and was met head on with a bomb, causing a large explosion. _

_Without hesitation, Robin had darted into the black smoke and grabbed the thief from falling prey to a painful end. He landed on the back of the motorcycle, glaring at the boy wonder. _

"_Saving me was a mistake!" he yelled out, Robin said nothing in response and continued driving. _

_X looked back to see the growing number of villains that were joining the race, the boy wonder was going up against impossible odds, and even if he win the case – there was no way he could fended of so many adversaries alone. _

"_The case really means that much to you?" he asked honestly. _

"_More than you'll ever know" Robin responded, eye not once leaving the road. _

"…_Then go get it" X declared, leaping off the motorcycle and disappearing in a flash. _

_He appeared again on the front of an armoured motorcyclist; he slammed his palm on the engine and left behind a red 'x' imprint before teleporting away. Within seconds the vehicle exploded, sending the driver flying. _

_His next target could only watch as he teleported inside the car of what appeared a brightly coloured limousine; where the drivers could just stare as he unleashed his 'x' wrist blades and cleaved the car in half from the inside. _

_Continuing his trail of carnage, X placed several explosives on several cars before leaping from one vehicle to the next, leaving a mass pile up of vehicles exploding and drivers screaming as they were scattered flies. _

_He finally fell onto the window of his final target, a young villain driving a large wheel-shaped vehicle; he took one look at the thief and yelled out in frustration. _

"_Who's side are you on?" _

"_Mine!" _

_A single explosive later, and the villain was sent flying down the track, cursing as he went. Teleporting away, he landed on what appeared to be a school bus, he peered down to be met with the amethyst eyes of another vigilante, Raven Roth. _

"_Need a lift?" she asked in annoyance. _

"_Tell Robin we're even…for now"

* * *

_

The video recording ended and disappeared from sight, the man in the chair said nothing but light himself another cigarette. The British woman sighed, almost in defeat, knowing that there was no point in arguing now.

"I guess it's decided then?"

"Yes"

"Red X, the infamous thief…we've got a lot riding on him, if we lose X then humanity might well follow" she stated warningly.

The man in the chair exhaled another cloud of smoke, and stared intently at the images of the masked thief in front of him; he crushed the cigarette in the ashtray completely.

"Then make sure you _don't_ lose him"

* * *

_2038. Humanity is no longer limited to the brittle haven of Earth, and have instead colonised new words with other races, sharing technology and now have influences throughout several galaxies due to the discoveries of the intergalactic transporters known as Mass Relays and it's powerful energy source that can manipulate both time and space; commonly known as Mass Effect. _

_Recently, all organic races were joined together in an alliance born of fear and resolve after one of the major colonised human worlds, Eden Prime, was attacked by the synthetic sentinels known as the Cybermen. After a series of brief conflicts that battle was brought to a dramatic end when the Citadel (the core station of intergalactic politics) was attacked by a giant sentient ship calling itself Emperor. _

_Due to the efforts and sacrifices of many human soldiers, the Titans managed to destroy Emperor and save the Citadel from annihilation. _

_However, the Titans leader - Richard "Robin" Grayson, had discovered that Emperor was actually a Dalek; an ancient machine/organic race with unfathomable knowledge that caused the extinction of millions of species in a cycle of devastation. _

_Despite pleas to mobilize all races to stop the oncoming Dalek army, the Council of the Citadel dismissed the idea that the Daleks even existed, and blamed it on the Cybermen. _

_In order to quell the rumours, the Council has sent the Titans as well as a full DWMA crew and state-of-the-art ship into the shadowy areas of the Terminus Systems in order to root out any remaining Cybermen resistance. _

_Unbeknownst to them, they have an unwanted guest on board, whose very presence shall save and end many lives in the events to come…_


	2. Shadow On The Normandy

Cerberus Rising 

Stage Zero: The Life, Death and Rebirth of Red X 

Chapter One: Shadow On The Normandy 

Upon the outer rims of the Terminus System, past the various stars, suns and ominous planets; the sleek shape of cruising shadow sailed through the black cosmos like a knife through and endless mist.

The Normandy was the sleekest, fastest and most powerful ship in the entire human military arsenal. The DWMA (Death Weapon Meister Academy) had spent a great deal of money making it the only ship that could run stealth and slip past radars undetected; making it the perfect ship to find the last of the Cybermen Resistance.

"Drive core at stable levels, mass effect field pressure at neutral – we're running green"

Inside, dozens of crewmembers in respective uniform were striding through the various hallways, performing specific duties to keep the ship running as smoothly as possible. The most activity was on the central information level (or the bridge) with a multitude of crew members scanning their current location through their holographic "galaxy map", trying to pick up any readings on synthetic activity.

Further up, towards the tip of the Normandy, was the cockpit, where three people were busy navigating the ship through the endless black. At the helm, in charge of directing the ship through its seemingly vacant voyage was a large African-American man with a bald head and strong physique.

He was a prominent member of the once vigilante group; the Teen Titans, and now was given military status as the pilot of the Normandy, he had even helped design and build it, and was highly regarded for it.

He was originally known as Cyborg, seeing as that was what his body used to be, but due to the developed of medical technology, all his robotics had been replaced with artificial organic skin, tissue and muscle. It would have cost him a fortune, but after helping develop the Normandy, the DWMA was happy to pay. He now went by his old name of Victor Stone

He and the rest of the old Titans had been given the mission to seek out and destroy the last of the hostile Cybermen that had aided in the invasion of the Citadel.

Yawning, the once-Titan re-directed the Normandy's course around a looming planet before its high level gravity butchered the ship's systems.

"This stinks, we've been out here for four days, and haven't seen the slightest spark of any Cybermen resistance!" Stone turned to his right to see a thinner man punching away at a datapad. His most notable feature was his green skin, a side-effect of his genetic abilities; he was the renowned comic relief of the Titans, Beast Boy, or as he was now known; Garfield Logan.

"We're not dealing with a pack of Devil Fruit Pirates, these things are smart enough to not charge in with guns running, and they know how to hide themselves pretty well" Stone retorted.

"You think they'll surrender once we drop the bombshell that their almighty conquest failed and we blew their god into a million pieces?" Logan asked.

"I doubt it, besides; Robin wants all Cybermen destroyed on sight" a third voice corrected him. She was stationed by Stone's left, and was currently scanning for any anomalies on any of the Terminus systems' native planets. She threw her blonde hair back as she typed in various codes on the holographic charts in front of her. She was the recently re-animated sixth member of the Titans, Terra Blake.

"No matter how you want to put it, our mission is to make these things extinct, and with Robin calling the shots – we're not going to stop until we blow the hard drives right out of each and every one of them" Stone stated, almost glumly.

"I guess he really never got over Emperor's indoctrination…" Logan sighed. An awkward silence befell all of them, each of them remembering their last battle with the Dalek, and how everyone wanted it swept under the rug.

Terra's eyes suddenly flared up as she looked over her readings, scanning over something that was out of place. She checked it a number of times before assuring herself, her face showed signs of confusion and unnerve.

"That's odd…"

"What is?" Logan asked, putting down his own datapad and walking over to his team-mate. She was rapidly running over scans of both the ship and of the system they were currently journeying through.

"Scanners showing some kind of other ship on our trail, gaining speed; looks like a cruiser" she said, analysing the approaching vessel.

* * *

Several miles behind the Normandy, a dim shadow began to emerge form behind the light of a nearby star. The sound of deep thunder followed it as its engines groaned with the weight and density of the cruiser. It had an uneven cylinder shape, coated by what appeared to be a large amount of sandy rock and steel.

Like a hungry predator it slowly began to make its way towards the Normandy, sending out a shrill sound that promised malicious intent...

* * *

"Probably slave traders; the Terminus System is crawling with them" Logan snorted in disgust, not thinking much of it.

"Doesn't match any known signatures…" Stone replied, slowly increasing the speed of the Normandy in caution, bringing up scanners of his own.

"There's one more thing" Terra noted, brining up a holographic display of the Normandy's interior. Both men turned to see her bring up a scan of the Normandy's engine display, there was a strong reading from the drive core.

"Since when did we have a concentration of xynothium walking around below deck…?"

* * *

The gloom was nearly as thick as the vacuum of space; only difference was that it was close to boiling temperatures near the engine's core, the musty smell of metal being melted and the heat of the mass effect field generator washed over the caped figure as he slowly trekked over the metal railings that supported him.

Sweat was forming on his brow; his breath dampened the already saturated cloth that clung to his skin. He was drowning in unease, which for him was an accomplishment in itself.

He had stolen vast amounts of money form the most defended locations, bypassed the highest security with ease, slipped through the fingers of the governments strongest and most brutal law enforcement.

But he had never, _never_, attempted to steal an energy source from a spaceship moving at full speed through the cosmos, a human one at that. The very thought was suicidal, and made the edges of the thief's mouth curve into a smirk.

"This is my big break" he thought to himself as he slowly walked towards the drive course, which existed at the edge of a platform in a circular room. The core itself was a large sphere inside a dome of mass effect field energy. The room was nearly pitch black accept for a grim red light that was lit by emergency bulbs dotted around the engineering level.

"Perfect timing, the ship is running stealth, therefore they can't pick up any out-of-place energy signatures; I'm practically invisible" the metallic voice ran through engineering like a chime.

Even in the shallow light, his appearance was made visible. His face was consumed by a skull mask with a single 'x' pattern over his left eye which was dye a deep crimson. This pattern appeared several times over his suit, one on his chest, and four on his hands. Draped around his neck was a tattered cape that blew lightly in the draft of the engine core, creating the illusion of a phantom.

He bent down towards the lower rim of the sphere and reached towards his belt, detaching the central area and placing it over the sphere. There was a brief spark from where the two materials made contact, sending out small waves of electricity in all directions. The 'x' pattern on the front of device immediately shone a bright red and within moments the surging of electricity stopped.

The thief reached out and pressed in the central 'x', where several needle shaped robotics appeared from the buckle's sides, forcing their way into the mass effect generator. The 'x' pattern opened up and expanded, revealing a glowing red core inside. The masked man pressed the central switch, and the two needles on the left side began to release the red energy into the mass effect core, while the two remaining needles on the right began to absorb the bright blue energy of the core.

"This is going to make me a legend, the thief that stole the mass effect core's energy right under the noses of the famous Titans, the supposed best of the best, in the DWMA's greatest ship. My name is going to be known throughout every system, and on the plus side, I'll have grounded the military's crown jewel permanently, and have the ultimate fuel for my suit" he grinned to himself as he slowly watched the red chemical consume the core.

"I love it when the good guy wins" he thought aloud, eagerly watching the device he had placed inhale the intense energy.

"You're still under that illusion?" the voice boomed down the dark hallway, causing the thief's back to straighten. He turned his grim mask in the direction of the voice, and set his eyes on a figure dressed in a dark red outfit, fitted with black, talon-like gloves with a matching cape. His mask only covered his eyes, but the edges were fashioned to give a demonic look to it.

The thief slowly stood up, his back to the core, as if protecting it, like a lioness would do her cubs. He glared at the figure, where a mutual hatred was exchanged simply through their masks.

"Robin, it's been a while; like the new outfit – though to be fair your best work was by far this" the thief taunted, gesturing to the suit he was wearing.

"Red X, I thought you had scurried away and died somewhere on Earth…" the leader of the Titans and captain of the Normandy, Robin, spat.

"Thought you could get rid of me that easily?" the thief, now recognisable as Red X, arched an eyebrow in response.

"Vermin always end up drowning, sooner or later" Robin retorted, he then turned his head to the side, catching a glimpse of the now divided in colour core.

"You're replacing the mass effect core with xynothium?" Robin stated.

"Swapping it, soon I'll have enough juice to power the suit for a lifetime" X explained, hints of pride could be found beneath the distortion of his mask.

"That's why you snuck aboard my ship? Just so you could recharge that outdated suit? Wake up; I build that thing years ago, we've got technology now that puts all of you old gadgets to waste" Robin spat, trying to get under the thief's skin, but X was having none of it.

"You don't seem to get it, the only problem I ever had with you kids was that this suit kept running out of power, when I was running on full I wiped the floor with all of you" X declared, his eyes briefly peered back at the core, the centre of his device was coloured both red and a luminous blue.

"Two minutes, just two more minutes, keep him talking for a bit longer" he desperately thought to himself.

"You always thought it was the suit, that it was the reason I was stronger than you or your little squad of toy soldiers, but that was never the case…" X snarled, slowly delivering his words.

"You just could never bring yourself to believe that there was someone who could use this suit better than you" X spoke wickedly, the enjoyment of Robin's failure was painfully evident in his voice.

Robin's fist's clenched, his jaw tightened, and he immediately whipped his famous bow staff, only this time it was far longer than his previous one, and had a blade similar to the edge of a scythe on each end of the staff, the plating dyed a cherry wine colour.

X took one look at the weapon, then stared back to Robin's face, whose expression held a mix of determination, bitterness, and a sense of guilty pleasure that he was about use the weapon on the masked thief.

"…You compensating for something kid?" was his only response. His smile only widened when Robin's face fell into one of pure hatred as he charged forward.

Robin lifted the blade and swung it in a 360 degree angle, the blades carving away at the small platform as he did. X stood his ground right until he could felt the heat of the blades near his face before ducking out of the way.

Robin expertly pulled the weapon back before it made impact, making sure to avoid it at all costs, before bringing the blade down upon the thief. X jumped back, the blade inches away from the area between his legs. A small wave of relief washed over the thief, before lashing out with a fierce kick to the face.

The red bird stumbled back, but X was already upon him, striking out with a flurry of powerful strikes to the jaw. Robin brought his weapon up to avoid most of the hits, before pushing back with the weight of the weapon. X was too slow to stop the blunt side of the weapon break into his shoulder brining him to the ground, gasping in pain.

"The suit gave you superior strength and endurance, without it you're just as helpless as a child" Robin declared, swinging the sharp edge of the scythe towards X. the thief rolled out of the way as quickly a she could, still grabbing onto his injured shoulder.

"You say you're the world's greatest thief, well here's the truth; you were only ever known because of me! It was me that created the suit; I created the name that you stole! You are my shadow!" Robin spat out viciously, aiming the tip of his weapon towards the thief, the length of the weapon was so vast that by itself it was only a couple of steps away from reaching X's chest.

"You're not even that much of a thief; you think I found you by coincidence? This is a state of the art ship, the DWMA's finest! You think we couldn't detect your xynothium powered suit? You're pathetic!" Robin yelled out, swinging his weapon around, X ducking and swerving his body around just in the nick of time, avoiding the tip of the blade.

With stunning speed, Robin shoved his weapon forward like a joust, managing to land a hit on X's abdomen, knocking the air out of his lungs. He followed up by bringing the weapon to the floor, using it as leverage to hoist himself forward like a gymnast. Due to the length of the weapon, his body was projected forward at great height, where he managed to deliver a staggering duel kick to X's chest; sending him flying back.

X gasped for breath as he crashed into the metal railings, he gripped his chest in pain, heaving as if he could not support his own weight. That last attack would break, or at least bruised a couple of ribs, and without his enhanced endurance he couldn't recover as swiftly.

"Your little heist has failed" X raised his head to look down the end of the bladed weapon, Robin standing above him as if he were victorious gladiator looking down upon a defeated adversary.

X tried to get up and make a dash for the mass effect core, but was stopped in his tracks when Robin's foot came down upon his throat, cutting off his supply of oxygen. The thief gasped and struggled, but the boy wonder was given him any chance to scurry away.

"I'm going to incapacitate you, detain you until we make our way back to the Citadel. There, I'm going to hand you over to C-Sec, where you'll be unmasked, exposed and imprisoned. You'll be forgotten, know one will remember your name, my mistake, and I will have that suit back!" Robin spat, an almost chilling tone to his voice and an unyielding fire that in his eyes that could even be seen through is mask.

"Hey, bird brain…" X wheezed, using all his strength to try and soften the hold Robin's foot had on his throat.

"Word of advice, if you're in a fight – less talking…" the thief hazily spoke out, slowly reaching down to his belt, where he silently pulled out a thin piece of red metal.

"More ass kicking!" he yelled, brining up his right leg at such blinding speed that Robin couldn't block as the thief ploughed his foot right into pelvis. Robin heaved as the air was stolen from him; he had little time to even blink before he felt a searing pain in his leg. Robin looked down in horror to see an 'x' shaped shuriken buried in his thigh.

However that was not the part that worried him the most. As he was inventor of the arsenal that X used he was very familiar with the small weapon, and what it did on impact.

Within a second a small, controlled explosion erupted form the shuriken, burning away into the upper part of Robin's leg; scorching his costume and searing the flesh of his leg.

A look of intense pain crossed the Titan's face, so much so that his grip all but disappeared, giving X the perfect opportunity to strike. After his neck was released from the boy wonder's hold, he leapt up and delivered a powerful punch right into his stomach, forcing him back a couple of paces, falling to one knee as he tried to catch his breath.

"How-"

"You really thought that I didn't prepare for a scenario like this? You thought that I was vulnerable without the belt? Get real! Part of me was almost counting on you showing up, which is why…" X sneered, getting up from off the floor before reaching into small and concealed pouches in his belt, pulling out several of the shuriken.

"I came prepared!" he yelled as he flung a barrage of shuriken towards the wounded Titan.

Robin's eyes widened, but his reflexes kicked into motion faster than X anticipated, and in one swift movement spun his blade staff in a full circle pattern in front of himself. The speed of the rotation managed to block the flurry of weapons, each shuriken biting into the staff's main structure.

X mentally cursed as he watched Robin discard the weapon, which moments later exploded into several fragments. Seemingly unfazed by this, Robin reached to his own utility belt, and pulled out a pair of metallic ovals, which with a click of a switch shot out a pair of bladed wings, giving the impression of a bird.

"Time a put a stop to this little game" Robin whispered maliciously, raising his arms up into a combat stance.

"Kid, the game is just beginning!" X yelled, charging forward at full speed, drawing the last of the two shuriken he had at his disposal.

* * *

"Victor, the cruiser is gaining on us, I think…its preparing for an attack run" Terra said urgently, trying to get a fixed reading on the ship that was pursuing them. Logan raised his eyebrows and scanned over his own readings again, a doubtful look spread across his face.

"That's impossible, we're running stealth! No Cybermen ship could-"

"It's not the Cybermen…" Stone declared, where a sudden flare of pure fear surged through his systems.

"Prepare for evasive action!" he yelled as loud as he could, hands becoming a blur as he frantically typed in commands.

The Normandy swerved to the right, descending into the dark of space as quickly as it could. The approaching unknown vessel remained on its course, unhindered by the ship's attempt to flee, and almost as a response; a gathering wave of yellow energy began appear at its top.

The energy increased in brightness, and with a deafening roar of the ship's circuitry, unleashed a beam of pure destruction that surged through the darkness of space at blinding speed.

And tore right through the Normandy's defences…


	3. Stare Into Oblivion

Cerberus Rising 

Stage Zero: The Life, Death and Rebirth of Red X 

Chapter Two: Stare Into Oblivion

Red X and Robin were caught in a deadlock, despite their weapons being small and unsuited for close-range combat; they had managed to force one another into a stalemate. The 'x' shaped shuriken was pressed against Robin's abdomen while the bird'a'rang was close to clipping X's throat. Each were glaring into one another's eyes, unblinking, a hate-filled tension that transcended a history that both would rather forget.

That was all before the sirens had started shrieking, filling the engineering deck with a piercing noise and several flashing lights. Both of them immediately lessened their grip on one another for a moment, looking around the room in confusion.

"What the hell?" X thought aloud.

His question was answered when the plating above them was torn to shreds by a burst of light, tearing through the metal of the floor all the way through to the other side of the ship. The force had been so great and unexpected that X lost his footing and fell through the hole in the floor.

X let out a cry as the sudden vacuum knocked him down with an intense amount of pressure that his body might as well have been a rag doll. His breath taken away from him, all he could do was fall…

A painful sensation in his arm brought him back him back to reality, as he looked to see a gloved hand fiercely holding onto his own. If he wasn't hanging below a gap into an early grave, he would have moaned in annoyance.

Robin groaned as he struggled to support the thief's weight, he had all but put their confrontation to the back of his mind; all he could think about now was the fact that something had just punched a great big hole in his ship, which meant they were under attack.

With one great tug, he managed to force X back onto the railings, nearly slamming him onto the other side of the floor. The masked thief slowly rose up, giving the boy wonder an expressionless look, a look he had given once in the past.

It was the look that meant that his life had been saved by a person he hated, and that I meant, because of his stupid diverse morals, he was going to have to repay him.

A sudden and violent jerk broke both the masked men out of their thoughts. The whole ship seemed to be swerving out of control, which was a very bad sign. There were several screams from above deck, causing Robin to go pale.

"The Normandy…" Robin looked on in horror for a split second, before sprinting and leaping over the wreckage, disappearing behind the several fires that began to combust around the deck.

X didn't waste any time either, turning on his heels and heading for the mass effect core, which was now all but a bloody red colour, which meant he had succeeded in his own mission.

"I've succeeded if I can just get that damn device back!" he mentally yelled, jumping and rolling over the jagged pieces of metal that were falling from everywhere.

He was almost within breathing distance of the device, before he was greeted by wall of destructive yellow energy that nearly tore off his head, sending him flying back. The thief desperately tried to get back on his feet, there was fire everywhere.

X was tempted; oh he was so tempted, to just make a dash for it, just to jump across and grab it, giving him an unlimited supply for his suit – the key to becoming the greatest thief that had ever entered the galaxy.

"…Forget it" he thought aloud, almost as reassurance to himself.

"No amount of fame or money is worth my life!" and with a defiant inhale of breath, he turned and headed for the exit to the engineering deck, the adrenaline making him run faster than he ever had run before, fear pumping through his veins.

He wasn't running away from the law this time; he was running to stay alive.

* * *

"Kinetic barriers at 2%! Engines failing, overdrive unresponsive! Someone get that goddamn fire out!" Stone roared, trying without ounce of skill he possessed to try and save the ship.

But the ship was on its last limb, the attacking cruiser had literally torn it to pieces, fire began brewing within it, only to be silenced by the unbearable cold of space. There were screams from inside the vessel; the crew were running like rats, heading for exit, desperate to escape the oncoming flood.

The Normandy was dead; it was just a matter of time before the executioner brought down the final swing to end it once and for all.

"Victor! We have to-GAH!" Logan yelled out, the control panel in front o him exploding, sending thousands of shards into his flesh, tearing him to ribbons.

"Garfield!" Terra screamed, running towards her dead comrade, but not before muttering a death cry of her own as a new fire exploded from the roof, scorching her, her body fell and landed beside her partner.

"No! No! NO!" Stone yelled out, slamming his fists against the console, anger and sadness washed over him like an ocean; but he had to face facts. He gave the ship one last look, and then glanced back at the corpses of his friends.

"Sorry old girl…" he said, getting up from off his seat, and then slammed his hands on a nearby console, which on touch immediately lit up.

**- EMERGENCY ESCAPE-PODS ACTIVATED -**

* * *

Red X barely survived the elevator trip up to the central information centre before the lights flared up again, and a robotic voice began instructing all crew to head for the emergency exit to the space-pods; the only way off dying ship.

X practically kicked down the doors as soon as he reached his floor, and was greeted by the horrid sensation of a blazing bloodbath. There were crew members scattered around everywhere, dead as dead could be, while others were frantically making their way to the space-pods.

"Can't worry about being caught now" X thought to himself.

Running past several pillars and loose circuits that seemed to fall every five seconds, he eventually came in sight of the space-pod dock, and to his sheer delight, there was one that was free. There remained a slim chance he could escape the ship by himself; remain alive and a free man.

"What the hell are you doing here!" the thief turned to see Stone, who had whipped out a heavy pistol form his belt, deadly at close range, and it was currently staring X in the face.

"Ah, crap" he muttered to himself, to stunned to move a muscle.

"Is this your fault? Did you bring that thing here?" Stone accused, bringing his weapon even closer.

"What?" X yelled back.

Another explosion nearly caused both of them to fall into the growing fire behind them. Several shards of the Normandy's engine were now flying into the central information centre, impaling a group of very unfortunate crew who didn't make it to the pods fast enough, their blood spraying into the fire.

Sickened and terrified, X tried to make a break for the pods, but a robotic arm held him back; Stone's face still filled with distrust, and it didn't look like he would care if the thief was left behind to burn. X took a deep breath and tried to slow his already fast beating heart.

"Listen! I know you guys hate me; in fact I'm not too fond of you either! But do you really think that I would try to kill you and your entire ship?" X yelled out in frustration.

"Someone could have paid you to sneak on, signal that ship as soon we entered Terminus space!"

"I'm a thief, not a murderer" X said solemnly, looking back at the dead crew, the very sight made his stomach do back flips.

"Look! Believe me or not, if we don't get out of here we're both going to die! I know I'm a selfish bastard, but there's no way I'd ever do something like this!" he yelled, gesturing to the carnage around them.

The evident fear in his metallic voice managed to come across as honesty. Stone looked around them; there was no way this man, a thief whose sole goal in life was to achieve wealth and live for no-one but himself would try something this horrific.

That granted, he was still human, and he was going to make damn sure he could get as many men and women as he could off the dying Normandy as he could.

"…Make sure the rest of the crew get on the pods, if you even think about jumping ship by yourself I will personally hunt you down and blast your head off your shoulders!" Stone warned.

"There's always a catch" X thought to himself.

"Friend Victor!" both men turned to see a beautiful young woman with flaming hair and emerald eyes run towards them, a group of injured crewmen behind her. She ran towards the large man, extremely distressed.

"Star; hurry up and get on those shuttles! We haven't got much time!" Cyborg urged, but the young Titan remained in place, trying to catch her breath.

"It is Robin! He will not-" her gaze fell to Red X, and her eyes turned a demonic green colour. Her hands became surrounded in an emerald fire, she growled towards the thief, her actions promising aggression and pain.

"You! You have done this! You have brought death upon us!" she yelled leaping forward, but was intercepted by Stone who held her back from tearing the masked man to pieces.

"Starfire! You have to listen! You can't start a fight here! The Normandy is about to get blown kingdom come!" he urged, but still the Titan persisted.

"He has sabotaged us! He is responsible!" she accused.

"Listen to me! I don't trust him either! But I doubt even he would do this and leave himself here to burn as well! We can sort out who's to blame for this later! But for now you have to calm down and tell me what happened to Robin!" he yelled, his authority stopping Starfire in her tracks.

The red-haired Titan stopped her frantic attack and swallowed a lump in her throat; her eyes did not leave X, who felt like she was staring daggers into every part of his body.

"If looks could kill" he thought to himself. The Normandy shuddered yet again; it was evident that it was on its final stretch. In light of this Starfire hastily spoke her words, ignoring the thief for a moment.

"I found Robin on the way to the head of the ship, he's gone back to the helm to try and save the Normandy, he is refusing to go! I tried my best but he…" Starfire rambled her words, trying to quell her already fast-beating heart.

X looked past the wall of fire, Robin had literally thrown himself into a death trap – there was no way back for him, there wasn't much of the ship left to save. He basically signed his own death warrant. For all his heated words and foul remarks, he couldn't help but feel a wave of unease come over him.

"Damn it! I've got to get him before he goes down with the ship! Starfire, you lead the others and take the last escape pods out! I'll-" Stone was forced back when half the floor under the central information deck combusted into flames.

"We will never get past that!" Starfire yelled in horror.

Red X was just steps away from the space-pod, he could get off and escape with his life, he could end up on a random planet, or he could end up falling right into the hands of Citadel Security, but regardless, anywhere was better than this.

And yet his thoughts turned to the boy wonder, he had saved him, and then he had gone mad and trued to save a doomed vessel.

"If I got through that fire…" X's mind wandered, he knew he was faster than most; he could be quick enough to reach the navigation point before the ship was torn apart. In fact he –

"**No!** I've risked my life too many times for that guy! There's no way in hell that I'm-" his mind wandered; Robin could have let him fall and become a frozen corpse, but he had saved him instead.

The thief clenched his fist, he tried to reason with himself, but his mind was already made up, and he despised himself for it.

"Oh, fucking morality!" he swore, turning around and running to the side of the deck, catching the view of the mechanical Titan.

"X! Where are you-?"

"Get on those damn shuttles! I'll haul Robin's ass out of there before this thing becomes scrap metal!" he yelled, making his way to the side of the ship, looking up to the flight of stairs that led to the deck.

"X! There's no time!" Stone roared but the thief vanished inside the fire, like a shadow within hell.

Stone was tempted to chase after him, but he knew that he would be only risking his own life. He turned to Starfire who was already strapping herself in, frantically gesturing him to get in.

"…Godspeed" were his final words as he ran and managed to fit himself into one of the many seats. Within seconds the lower section of the Normandy opened up and sent several emergency shuttles into the darkness of space.

They all watched as the ship they had so faithfully served on was ripped apart and exploded like a supernova…

* * *

X forced his way past the flames, singing his outfit, until he reached a pair of automatic doors which were thankfully still operational. He had expected a powerful gust of heat and smoke to cloud his vision, but instead was met with the exact opposite.

It was breath-taking, in both cases of the word. The upper plating had been ripped lean off, revealing the darkness of space and the nearby planet that hung like a luminous jewel in an eternal night.

The sheer sight of it frightened X to the core; it meant that he should have instantly become a walking snowman. However, it became clear that he was still very much alive by the motion of his heart nearly beating out of his chest.

The suit's mask automatically had become fuelled with oxygen, a failsafe feature thrown in by Robin in the early days. He could only assume that the ship's artificial gravity and heat were still active.

For how much longer he had no idea, and so made his way forward, the force of the beautiful blackness forcing his movement to an incredibly slow space. The dead quiet filled his ears; the only noise was his rapid breathing.

The helm was up ahead, and as he approached, the distinctive sound of Robin's cries could be heard, desperate cries for help that were answered with the deathly quiet. X slowly approached, and there Robin could be seen, sat down in the half scorched chair, rapidly typing away, face concealed by a breathing helmet.

"Mayday! Mayday! SR-1 Normandy requesting immediate assistance from the DWMA! We are under attack! I repeat! Under attack from unknown hostile forces! Please send help!" Robin constantly yelled.

X slowly worked his way to the seat, pulling himself forward, the pressure of the artificial gravity weighting down on him so much he felt like his bones were creaking out of place.

"Hey Bird Brain!" X yelled. Robin swerved around to see him, confusion and panic were written on his face like a billboard.

"This ship is going down, and so are we if we don't get the hell out of here!" X yelled out over the howling of the ship's engines.

"No! I can still save the Normandy! If I can just get through communications channels! I can still save us all!" he yelled, almost in a deranged state.

"Of for the love of – the ship is dead! And so are we if we stay here for much longer!" X yelled, grabbing onto his shoulder and trying to pull him away, but Robin was having none of it.

"She can still be saved! I can still save…oh no" Robin said, his voice hollow. X looked in the direction of the Titan's leader, and mentally recited a thousand of the most appropriate curses he could think of.

"They're coming in for another attack run!"

The ghostly ship gave another defending scream, before releases another of its devastating laser bursts, this one managing to cut right through the Normandy, severing it completely.

"Damn it! We have to go now!" X ordered.

"But if I can just get through to-"

"Kid, I feel absolutely no regret for this" X said plainly, before hitting the boy wonder with the hardest punch he could muster. He sighed in relief as the Titan crumpled over, out cold.

Slinging him over his shoulder with a lot of effort, X trudged his way through the dark and the cold. Time seemed to stop for the thief, each second felt like a lifetime, and he prayed that the one he took next wouldn't be his last.

After what seemed like a miniature eternity; X had managed to reach the central information deck, which was in pieces. The upper plating was tearing off by the second, and the gravity was beginning to slip.

None of that seemed to matter to X, as all he could focus on was the last of the space pods that sat vacant, just waiting to take off. Fuelled by adrenaline and the sheer will to survive, the thief reached the entrance and threw the boy wonder inside, just as he was beginning to stir.

"We're even for now" X stated, gripping the edges of the shuttles as he attempted to jump inside, the feeling of relief greater than escaping form any heist.

If he had widened his gaze, he would have noticed the gathering heat towards the panel to his right. The compression of all the circuits and systems had set the inside structure aflame, it had built up like a dormant volcano, until the pressure was too much for the fragile plating of the ship, and exploded right beside the masked thief.

The flames didn't manage to burn him, but instead slammed him into the opposite wall, where the gravity had all but disappeared, and X felt himself being drawn back towards the wide open wounds of the ship, which led into the eternal blackness.

"X!" Robin yelled, reaching out with his hand, but the strength of the shuttle's safely lock held him back in his seat firmly.

X was violently thrown against the withering helm of the ship before being pulled up into the air, where the thief desperately lashed out and grabbed the nearest control panel

X glared back at Robin, whose face was one of sheer horror. Within that desolate moment…he slammed his palm on the centre of the console, signally the space pod to close and be released from the ship. A final good deed

The two doors began to close obscuring Robin from sight, who screamed his lungs out.

"RED X!"

* * *

The doors shut, and the shuttles tore away from the Normandy, out or sight and out of mind, leaving the only remaining survivor on the ship. But the thief's grip began to fade; the unstoppable force of the vacuum of space dragged him out, through the many fires until it sucked him right through the helm of the ship, where he watched the final laser cut right through the Normandy, the ship exploded into nothingness.

X was floating within the black, the cold hit him like a charging bull, his suit's systems immediately began to fail. There was the sound of material breaking against the intense pressure, and a burst of air broke out from underneath it.

"No!" X rapidly tried to seal it, but his reflexes had been grounded down to a halt. He began to fall drawn into the darkness of the nearby planet; more oxygen began to break away from the tears in his suit.

"Oh please god no! No! No! NO! _**NO!**_" X screamed, he screamed as hard as he could, but he could do nothing he fell into the darkness, he fell until he was swallowed by the nothingness.

Across the rim of the nearby planet, the sun began to peer over, revealing a brilliant gold light that radiated throughout the cosmos. It served to highlight the destruction of the Normandy; the arrival of a force that crushed all that opposed its ghostly reign.

And it served to illuminate the masked thief as he fell into the cold black, as he stared into the unyielding oblivion.

Red X fell to his death…


	4. Awakening

Cerberus Rising 

Stage Zero: The Life, Death and Rebirth of Red X 

Chapter Three: Awakening 

All he could see was black, and all he could hear was silence. Nothingness was all he could feel, and the only taste in his mouth was failure, humiliation and bitterness. This was the irony of his life, his punishment for losing his nerve when it had counted most. He had strayed off the path he'd swore he would uphold; live for him and him alone.

But he had given in to his conscious, that voice in the back of his mind that wouldn't go away no matter how many times he tried to silence it. He had played the hero once again.

And death was his penalty…

_What will I be remembered for? _

That was the worst part, at the very end he had betrayed his cause, and as a result he wouldn't be remembered as the thief that lived on in legends. He would no longer remain in the minds of those who had obeyed the law, the one man who had undermined the rules and blurred the line between hero and villain permanently.

_Was it worth it? _

Memory, no – the concept of memory, was slipping from his mind. As his body had unravelled every moment from his life seemed to be replaying and blending together as if it were an orchestration. An orchestration that ended with a note not of triumph, but of regret and utter disappointment.

The image of Robin's grinning face would have made his blood boil, but such emotion was beyond him at the point, he had become nothing, and nothing was what he would remain as. Emotion and inner conflict were luxuries that he had forsaken.

_Is this the end?_

The faintest light of the nearby sun just managed to reach his frozen eyes before the blackness completely consumed him. It was a beautiful sight, a sight that could only be admired from a view such as his.

He had once ignored the beauty of the universe, now in his final moments it consumed him with blinding force all at once.

He had screamed at first, screamed and wailed and cried, but now as he felt the numbness turn his insides hollow, he let his final thoughts echo in his shell of a conscious.

_Was I ever meant for something more…? _

The silence deafened him as he fell into the mouth of the ever lingering dream of death...

* * *

"Red X has been recovered…"

The voices of nervous yet calm individuals and the rhythmic motion of machines blended together like a sonnet. Lights and holographic images flared up, pictures and images of decorated the bleach white room.

Looking over a table, where a horrific yet saddening sight lay before her, the blonde woman inhaled a deep breath of clinical air and set to work, knowing that there was a long and arduous journey ahead of her.

"The Nero Project will proceed as planned"

Dead flesh, mutilated into nothing but grey lumps of lifeless meat like a valley of cracked scarred skin, where no colour or breath was held, jerked at the infusion of the first needle.

The tubes dug into the broken shell, into various veins and arteries that had been rendered and ripped by intense pressure. Fluid was pumped through, filling the cracks in the flesh.

Time was not registered throughout the process, so no-one was exactly sure how long it took before the internal flesh started to convert back to a pink colour, or when the tarnished lungs began to slowly take in oxygen.

Or when the body itself began to pump blood around its once broken system…

From there it was only one step after another. Bones were welded and connected together by synthetic plating, while the muscles around it were rebuild with extreme precision.

The skull was reformed; chips of bone removed and fitted together like a jigsaw puzzle, scars of the flesh sewn together, every limb, artery and piece of tissue reformed in such a way that some would say it was the hands of God at work.

The brain's activity slowly began to send out thoughts, the consciousness of the experiment was sealed behind a wall of drugs and comatose, but it was there nonetheless.

Very soon, after what seemed like an eternity of science against the idealism of death…

The once dead heart began to beat again.

* * *

_Where…where am I?_

"Look, I…I think he's waking up" a voice, a very distant voice spoke out, bringing with it an intense pain to his ear, as if it were the first time using them.

_Wh-what's going on? What happened?_

"Suzaku, what's going on?" another voice, this time female, spoke over him, just as painful, though somehow closer.

_I can't see, why can't I see? What happened to me?_

"Neural patterns are in the red, brain activity is off the scale, heart rate increasing exceptionally! Goddammit it, he's coming around!"

There was a pain, a boiling pain that was swelling up inside of him, but regardless – he had to see, using strength that seemed extinct, he blearily opened his eyes, and was hit by a blinding wave of white light.

"Damn it! It's still too early!" the female's voice again.

Shadows began to spread across his view, blurred images, like ripples in a pond. The images began to take shape, a hazy one at that, but he could still make out the image of a woman, dressed in a dark crimson.

"Heart rate is going into overtime!" the male voice yelled in urgency.

"Damn it Suzaku! At this rate we're going to lose him!" the view became more graphic as the figure grew closer. He could now make out her face, a pretty one at that, but her most distracting feature was her eyes, which were a colour that resembled a deep red wine, perhaps even blood.

"X, look at me; you have to calm down" she said forcefully taking hold of his face with unusual gentleness.

_Who are you? Where have you taken me? _

"Heart rate still climbing! We're going to lose him Seras!" the male yelled out, his appearance became vaguely visible at the far reaches of his sight.

"Give him a concentrated dose! Now!"

The intense panic that had been consuming him slowly began to fade away, as if he was slipping back into a dream, only this time the dream was a cushion instead of a coffin. His breath slowed down s his eyelids suddenly became quite heavy.

"Heartbeat slowly down, brain activity normal…we saved him Seras" the male voice sighed in relief, only it was much more distant now.

"Increase the rates of injections, we can't have something like that happen again, we're too close now" the woman heaved, looking down upon him with an almost timid gaze.

"Go back to sleep, X"

And that's just what he did.

* * *

The powerful white light pushed against his closed eyes, disrupting the darkness of his sleep, causing a pale red glow to wash over his vision. Soon, his other senses came into place.

He could feel soreness over every part of his body, as if he had been broken apart and mended, every muscle ached and every joint felt bruised and tender. A clinical smell filled his nostrils, air that had been filtered to an extreme extent. The taste of dried blood lingered on his tongue, as if it had been cemented there. Sound slowly flowed back into his ears.

A sound that resembled thunder, thunder that was fired from a gun…

"Wake up X!" a voice echoed through his mind, stirring him, and slowly causing his eyes to open, where he was greeted by the familiar white light.

The sounds and tremors of explosions began to increase around, knocking his vision back into place, awareness creeping back into his system.

"X, get out of that bed! This facility is under attack!"

Slowly he rose up, scanning the room around him. He seemed to be on some kind of operating table, the room around him was a bleach white colour, like a doctor's surgery, only advanced beyond what he had ever seen before.

"What's going on? Where the hell am I?" he thought aloud, but was greeted by an intense pain in his face. He gripped his face with his right hand in reaction; it felt as if his face had been carved, the flesh felt bruised and torn.

His face…not his mask.

It then occurred to him that he was indeed unmasked, topless, and the only shred of clothing on him was a plain piece of underwear. If this had been any other situation, he would have felt a sick sense of humiliation, but right now he was more terrified at the fact that someone knew what he looked like under his mask, someone knew his identity.

"What's happened to me? Why am I here? The last thing I can remember is…" the man frantically searched the back of his aching mind to try and find a shred of memory that would make sense of all this.

* * *

_The ghostly cruiser edging closer across the dark cosmos, like a vessel of death. It roars like a beast from the circles of Hell and unleashes a burst of golden light, cutting through everything in sight. _

_Screams and flames, explosions and shreds of metal, killing everyone in sight, survivors flee to escape the wreckage, one stays behind and braves the fire, fuelled by an unknown sense of loyalty. _

_One lives, one dies_

_The dying one falls through the vacuum, into the mouth of endless ark, ice and fire and darkness consuming him until nothing is left but a tormenting pain, the living one screams out a name. _

"_RED X!"

* * *

_

"AAARRRHHH!" the unmasked man yelled out, gripping his head in agony, falling to his knees, trying to block out the vision of death and blood.

"What…what happened to me?" he whispered to himself. It was then the explosions became more intense, knocking him off balance, nearly sending him face flat on the floor.

"X you have to listen to me! Your scars haven't healed yet but I need you up and running!" the voice yelled out, the man looked up, but could not find a face to match the voice to.

"Who are you? What's going on?" he yelled out, shouting in random directions.

"Look, right now I'm the closest thing you have to an ally right now! My job is to make sure you leave this facility alive!" the voice yelled back, it was defiantly the voice of a woman.

"Facility?" he asked.

"We don't have time to sit around and chat! Grab your suit from the cylinder near the corner of the room!" she yelled.

The unmasked man turned to the right; there he saw a large silver coloured object, nearly as tall as him. He sprinted over to it, slamming his hand onto its side, which caused the object to automatically open up.

Where he stood face to face with a skull-shaped mask with a crimson 'x' pattern painted across the left eye.

"The suit? How did…?" a million questions whirled around in his head like a hurricane, but due to the sounds of gunfire coming from outside the walls, he knew now wasn't the time.

"There should be enough xynothium to power it up for at least another hour or so, I'll guide you as best as I can, but for now you have to get moving!" the voice urged.

Without hesitation, he grabbed the suit. The sensation of the fabric against his skin was familiar and comfortable like an old shoe. After applying the basic clothing, he grabbed the two most important pieces of the suit; the mask and the belt.

"I don't who these guys are, or what the hell happened to me…" the belt glowed a dark shade or red, and the suit automatically powered up once again.

"But I'm not leaving this place without answers!" he declared, once again wearing the skull-mask of the infamous thief he was and always had been.

Red X was reborn…


	5. Facility Under Siege

Cerberus Rising 

Stage Zero: The Life, Death and Rebirth of Red X 

Chapter Four: Facility Under Siege 

Red X didn't waste any time, the moment his unit had powered up he sprinted, right through the automatic doors that led out of the surgery. The thief could only feel a sense of relief as he did so; it only made his mind wander towards a truth he didn't want to face.

"Someone's hacking security to try and kill you" the ever present voice of the woman spoke out as he ran past electronic doors and white-painted walls.

"Kill me? Who did I piss off this time? I don't even know you guys!" X snapped back as he reached a double locked grey door.

"You're valuable X, more than you know" the woman spoke out, much softer this time. X chose to let that slide, as he knelt down and reached out for the door, the 'x' pattern on his left palm lighting up.

"Security grids are being locked down, whoever's behind this is trying to keep you under wraps, you'll have to bypass the gridlock to proceed, I'll try and fix it form my end" the woman explained.

"Please, this is child's play" X thought aloud, and sure enough, within mere seconds the door unlocked.

"How did you-?" the woman asked.

"You obviously know less about me than you think" X grinned, running forward, the hospitalised decoration seemed o end there, everything seemed to be much more…chaotic, especially considering that the explosions were become louder and more frequent.

"Our security is one of the most advance din the Terminus, it shouldn't be that easy to hack" the woman insisted again, seemingly not convinced.

"You forgot one thing" the thief snarled.

"What's that?"

"I'm Red X, the greatest thief this galaxy has ever known, I'm very good at what I do" he smirked, passing through the passageway.

"So it would appear"

* * *

"A space station, bloody typical" X signed. The hospital wing had ended and was standing in a much darker and larger room, dimmed in darkness. A clear window was to the far left, showing the endless vacuum of space. Debris was scattered everywhere yet nobody was in sight. To the far right was a large set of stairs that led into another room that was one level higher.

"Looks like they set up a barricade" the woman spoke out, the thief set his sights on a large piece of metal that acted as cover.

"Hell a lot of good that did" he scoffed.

"Keep moving X!" the voice insisted.

"Who are you anyway? For all I know you could be setting me up" the thief growled, the response was sharp and simple.

"If I was trying to kill you X, you'd be dead right now" she responded, putting the thief in his place, though he certainly wasn't happy about it.

"That's comforting" he sighed, leaping over the first pile of debris.

Before he could even set his sights on the staircase, he was caught off guard by a barrage of heated bullets than flew past his vision, causing him to nearly fall back in shock. He snapped his head around to see a figure standing atop the staircase. It was clearly robotic; its armour dyed a bleach white colour with several red numbers flashing across its visor. An assault rifle was perched in its hands, aimed right at the thief's head.

"Look out!" the woman yelled.

The machine unleashed another round, but by this time X was already hidden behind the debris, heart racing. The bullets ricocheted off the edge of the metal, but it had X pinned down.

"What the hell is that?" X yelled over the volley of bullets.

"A security mech, they must have killed all of the staff on this floor, damn it! You have to get moving, more will probably follow it" the woman urged.

"Aren't these things supposed to work for you?" X asked, keeping his head down.

"Like I said, someone's hacked security, which includes the mechs; they're not taking any chances with you"

"You'd think I would remember if I pissed someone off this much" X thought to himself. Peering over the edge, the mech was reloading at a slow pace, its entire clip empty.

"X, I can't disable it form my end – you're going to have to kill it" she insisted.

"Can't I just teleport out of here?" X asked.

"We shut down the teleportation system on the belt when we rebuilt it, we didn't want you running away once you'd woken up" the woman responded, not a hint of embarrassment in her voice.

"Are you personally trying to screw with me!" X yelled out, his mysterious companion ignored him.

"Projectile shuriken, retractable blades, binding gel and pulse energy lasers should be functional, but don't get too trigger happy, this is only xynothium we've got on the facility"

"I'm really starting to hate you" X seethed.

"It's my job to get you out of here alive, not to become your friend" the woman responded.

X wanted to tell her to go to hell, but put it to one side when he saw the mech rearming itself. He flicked his wrist and instantly three shuriken appeared in-between his fingers

The mech loaded in a new clip and let out a series of rapid-fire shots; however, X had already dashed out form his cover and thrown the crimson stars out. His accuracy had been off, only two managed to lodge themselves in the mech.

It didn't matter. Pressing his palm with his thumb, the shuriken lit up and resulted in three small but concentrated explosions, blowing half the mech away.

The mech aimed the assault rifle with what was left of its only operational arm, but as it did, it had only a second to calculate that its was at an end.

X swung his right fist forward, the large 'x' shaped blade cleaving through the mech's head like a hot knife through butter, resulting in the machine falling to the ground and self-destructing, however by this time the thief had already vanished.

* * *

"Keep moving X we need to get you to the shuttles!" the woman insisted as he began hacking at his second door, hands moving n a blur as he rewired the system.

"Is that the only way off this hunk of metal?" X asked.

"That or if you feel lucky you can try your luck and floating through space by yourself, however that hasn't proved too successful for you in the past" the woman shot back.

X was silent, his hands still hacking into the system. Her words made him feel angry for some reason, as of she were preying on a fear of his, but he had no idea why. Regardless, he was just going to have to put up with her.

"Like it or not, looks like she's my only way out of here" he thought as the door opened in quick succession.

He was now in a room that was similar to the hospitalised room he was in before, only much larger, and with several glass panels acting as cover. The door was a few yards off. He made a dash for the door, as fast as his legs could carry him, however he stopped dead once a female voice echoed through the room.

"X! Security mechs are closing in on your position! Take cover now!" she yelled, a sense of urgency in her voice.

X's eyes fell on the door, which opened up to reveal a group of seven mechs, all fully armed closing in on him.

"Damn it!" X yelled as he leapt to the side, the bullets managed to cut away some of his cape.

The panels seemed reinforced, enough to take a volley full of gunfire. X kept his head down, almost crouched onto the floor. All the mechs had their sensors on him, and to make matters worse; they were slowly moving forward. Unless he moved or took them out he was going to be shredded by bullets very soon.

"This isn't good!" he thought aloud, frantically for an alternative exit. The way he had came in had been locked down again, and the only way out was forward, and forward was currently guarded by mechs holding a lot of guns.

"X, you have to get moving now!" the woman yelled out.

"I'm open to suggestions!" he yelled back, ducking his head as a couple of bullets broke through the final panel.

His heart was racing, his mind was throbbing, he felt sick to his stomach, and he was faced with the overwhelming feeling that he'd had this sense before hand. As if he was relieving something that he couldn't quite remember.

There was a strong pain coursing through his head, as if several wounds were suddenly reopening all at once. But that wasn't all, he felt as if each second was becoming a minute, and that in turn was becoming an hour. Time seemed to be spinning out of control.

"Shit, shit, shit!" X yelled, another bullet whizzing past his head, this one grazing the outer fabric of his mask.

Then another feeling surged through him, some kind of fury, wrath, a suppressed anger, the feeling when you were suddenly given everything…only to had it stolen again.

"Like hell…am I going to die here!" he spat out.

That was when he noticed the first mech, less than ten steps away from him. Its gun was aimed; its finger was on the trigger, slowly applying pressure.

That was when everything went hazy, and X's mind went surprisingly still. What was the more confusing of all was the area around him, it had become slightly dazed, the colour had become considerably darker and everything had become slow…even the mechs, they were now slow, very slow.

As if the world were viewed through eyes of one purely fuelled by adrenaline…

* * *

**Adrenaline Rush** – On command the body releases a concentrated dose of adrenaline, which for a brief period of time grants a boost in speed, and increases damage of all physical. To the user it appears that time has slowed down.

* * *

As if on instinct, X brought his arm up, 'x' blade already extended, and sliced the mech from the bottom upwards, cleaving it in two.

Ignoring the whiplash in his wrist, he dived out and thrust both hands forward, sending a barrage of projectile shuriken at the swarm of mechs. The sudden burst caught all of the machines off guards, ending up with three of them with ten shuriken embedded in their mechanical bodies.

The haze fell and X could barely catch his breath, but despite this still stood up. He leapt to side and hid behind cover once again as the remaining mechs lashed out, unfazed that the other machines were now terminated.

"Since when was the suit able to do that?" he thought to himself, but was put off guard when the other three mechs began their own volley of fire.

Heart still pounding, X used his superior agility to leapt over the panels, somersaulting over most of the gunfire, the occasional bullet ripping part of his suit. Eventually he made it to last panel where he leapt into the air and flung his hand forward; where a scarlet 'x' projectile struck a mech on its head, the projectile soon turning into a gel that blocked its vision.

"Target is escaping" the two remaining mechs responded robotically, aiming their guns for the masked thief.

Too quick for the machines to press the trigger, X had dove forward and caught both mechs in a close-line, which then became two 'x' blades to the neck. Sparks and excess metal shot out everywhere as both machines were decapitated.

"Better luck next time guys" X grinned turning to face the three mechs, all of them now blinded.

The thief brought up his right palm and held it out towards them, which began to increase in brightness. X thrust his hand out, which resulted in a destructive burst of crimson coloured energy soaring across the room, taking the three mechs with it.

"Nicely done X, the coast is clear" the woman's voice rang in his ear, both when he wanted and didn't want it, mostly it was the latter.

Not even taking a moment to catch his breath, X forced the exits doors open and stepped out of the room. His eyes were exposed to sheer carnage; the room was a narrow corridor surrounded by glass.

Outside the glass were walls of fire, washing over bleeding bodies that were still being disposed of by the mechs, shooting without mercy and without target. The sight made X sick to his stomach, and all the more determined to escape.

"X you have to move! I can't keep the mechs distracted for long!" the female's voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Why am I the only one she want out of this place? None of this makes sense!" he thought to himself.

Despite the death around him, he hacked his way through another doorway, only to find himself upon a platform, looking down upon a large corridor a few metres down which led to the exit doorway even further on.

"There are more security drones on the way, you need to take them out!" the woman informed him.

"More? Seriously how many robots do you need to guard this place?" X snarled, taking out two explosive shuriken.

"Because we were guarding something worth it" she responded bitterly.

X didn't respond, instead he leaned over and scanned the area below, and to his luck discovered a pair of flammable canisters that had been discarded or knocked over. And not a second later, the mechs swarmed in, marching like mechanical soldiers.

"Target acquired, armour-piercing ammo loaded, engaging hostile-" the machine was cut off when a series of shuriken pierced the nearby canisters, result din a killer explosion that torched the entire group in a single hit.

"God I hate mechs…"

* * *

After going down a level through a nearby elevator, X had easily managed to hack his way through the doorway, albeit getting his cap singed from the results of the explosion, and found him in a small, dark passageway. He fell against a wall and took in a deep breath, the situation taking its toll on him.

"You're doing…X…I'll meet…next room" the woman's voice filled the corridor once again, however this time it was corrupted by static and much of the dialogue was lost.

"X...static…interference…mechs…in on my position…need…meeting!" the voice then died all together.

"Oh great, now what?" X cursed.

His ears were then meet by the sound of gunfire being exchanged, and if he wasn't mistaken the sound of a voice yelling out, a human voice.

Running out of the room, he found himself standing in a large open spaced area, a single bridge stretched from one side to another. Making his way out from around of the doorway, he cast his gaze upon a lone figure, two guns in his hand, unleashing a series of bullets against a couple of security mechs on the opposing bridge.

Not wasting the opportunity, X ran forward and wildly shot out a series of crimson shuriken, taking out one of the mechs. The figure looked up in both surprise and confusion.

"X? What the hell..?" he thought aloud.

The masked thief rolled over to the side, avoiding enemy fire, before crouching down to the right of the lone shooter. His voice was filled with frustration, annoyance and urgency.

"Okay pal, tell me what the hell is going on?"


	6. Dead Man Walking

Cerberus Rising 

Stage Zero: The Life, Death and Rebirth of Red X 

Chapter Five: Dead Man Walking

For every mech that was taken down, another two seemed to take its place, the mechanical guards seemed determined to take out the shadowy figure perched n the opposing tower, especially considering he had taken out over half of their force.

Their effort were only doubled with the arrival of a second figure, masked and caped, who had unleashed metal shards, dyed in red, and had torn their current defence to pieces.

Even though they were software purely programmed to enforce authority no matter who was stationed as commander, some part of them knew that the masked man was only going to bring death with him…

* * *

"What are you doing here? Are thought you were still a work in progress?" the figure asked X, both of them now leaning against the edge of the ledge's glass shielding.

X was slightly taken aback by the shooter's appearance, the first being at how young he was, there was no way he could be older than seventeen. All his clothes were black, hardly armour, in fact they seemed almost formal. What wasn't formal was the pair of silver pistol he held in his hands, he held them both upside down fashion, a difficult but in some cases effective way of handling weaponry.

What was most distracting about him were his facial features, his hair was jet black, much like his attire, however it seemed spikes down so it nearly covered his eyes. On one part of his hair there were three white stripes painted horizontally, while his eyes were a bright yellow.

Regardless, this boy knew something, he had even recognised X as he had joined the fray, which meant he almost certainly had the answers he needed.

"Look pal, I don't know where I am or how I got here, but my head feels like an overripe melon that's about to split open! Why don't you feel me in on the details?" X snapped.

"Damn…forgot this was all new to you, sorry about that, my name's Death the Kid, I've been stationed here for-" a bullet broke the shielding, nearly taking off his head in the process.

"Gah! Disgusting machines!" the young gunman growled, throwing his arms over the railing and pulling the triggers on both his guns. The result was a flurry of bullets shaded in a dark purple colour. The nailed the mech so fast X could have sworn he might as well be wielding a pair of sub-machine guns.

"Things must be worse than I thought if Seras has got you running around!" he yelled out over the roar of gunfire, several mechs now swiftly joined the fight.

"I'll fill you in later, but right now our top priority is getting you to the shuttles!" he insisted, but X was having none of it.

"Ever since I woke I've had someone screaming orders at me, I need answers now!" X yelled out.

Surprisingly, the young man didn't seem agitated by it, in fact he seemed understanding. He seemed more concerned that he and the thief were shielded form the gunfire.

"Fair enough, I guess would ask the same thing in your situation, so here's the quick version" he said with confidence, not intimidated or pressured by the situation at all, something that surprised the thief even more.

"The Normandy was attacked and destroyed, as a result you were killed, dead as dead can be when they brought you here" he explained, slowly, as if to make each word count.

"Our scientists have spent the last five years putting you back together; you've been in comatose, for half a decade. Welcome back."

For X, everything went silent. Some small part of him hoped that it was some kind of sick joke, but from the dead serious expression plastered on the gunslinger's face, he knew that he was telling the truth…and it was a truth that nearly made him sick.

"I…I…I'm having some trouble accepting that" X said, all frustration and anger taken out of him, only a lingering sense of disbelief.

"Yeah, I can imagine, but you have to believe me, you died, and we brought you back" He said, almost chuckling.

"So you're not screwing with me?" X responded, sharing a slight laugh.

"Unfortunately, I'm not" he smirked.

Both men shared a brief laugh, a laugh born of an impossible situation. Inside, X felt like crying, he felt screaming at anything, everything. But no, he laughed, because that was who he was, and as a thief, you took what you could get, no matter the value.

In this situation it just happened to be his life…

A heavy spray of gunfire suddenly turned things serious again, Death the Kid didn't hesitate to respond with a fierce counter fire, but by this point there were more mechs for his bullets to soak up, and as a result only a couple went down, while another dozen responded with more gunfire.

"The DWMA declared you missing in action, the entire galaxy thinks you're dead" he said bluntly, ducking his head from a few key shots.

"And if we don't get you to those shuttles, they'll be right"

X didn't know what to think, such a concept was hard to his head around. He was a dead man walking, literally. However the questions still ran through his head like a swarm of hornets.

"Was I the only survivor from the Normandy? I remember…I saved Robin from that ship…but the rest is still a blur" X asked.

"Tell you what…" Death the Kid responded, placing another clip into each of his guns.

"You help me take these metal bastards out, and I'll play twenty questions with you all day, deal?" he asked.

"Deal" X agreed, without hesitation.

* * *

The mechs didn't know what had hit them. The two shadows had separated in an instant and hit them with a combination of bullets and projectile shuriken. Though many more mechs slowly trickled in, they all ended as scrap metal in the end.

Death the Kid laid on a strong barrage of bullets, weakening the formation of the mechs, before X would swoop in like a hawk and either layer them with explosive shuriken on tear them to pieces with a beam of destructive red energy.

It seemed as if they had worked their entire lives form the way they moved in sequence, one would attack in perfect unison with other. From afar X could only marvel at how the young gunslinger moved, his position and way of firing almost seemed like an art form, each technique and pull of a trigger seemed to perfectly executed.

He wasn't sure what kind of soldier he was, but he was beyond anything he had seen before…

"X! One on your left!" he yelled as he unleashed both guns on a mech that had made the fatal of reloading, and was immediately shredded into pieces.

The masked thief rolled out of the way of an incoming volley of bullets, and in turn unleashed a fierce set of shuriken on the last remaining mech, tearing off many of its ligaments, before destructing and taking the rest with it.

"Thanks for your help; I don't think I could have lasted much longer by myself" Death the Kid sighed, reloading his guns and attaching them to holsters on the back of his belt.

Both men were facing each other, X held himself tall, his arms crossed and his expression unreadable. Death the Kid on the other hand was much more relaxed, as if he had known the thief for a long period of time.

The possibility of that being true made Red X feel very uneasy.

"Okay, I promised I'd answer your questions; what do you want to know?" he asked.

"First things first, you said they spent five years rebuilding me? How bad were my injuries?" X asked.

"I'm not a doctor, but they were _bad_. When I first saw you, you were nothing but meat and tubs, anywhere else and they would have put you in coffin…but Project Nero was different, cutting-edge technology" he described.

"Cutting-edge? What do you mean? Am I a machine? Or a clone?" X asked.

"I heard they were using synthetic materials to keep you together, but I don't thing they replaced everything, and I doubt you're a clone – the whole point of the project was to bring you back how you were. You're still you…you just might a have few extra bits and pieces" he explained.

"Might explain that weird time-freeze fiasco earlier" X thought to himself.

"What was this project? Were they any other….test subjects?" he continued, in all honesty he hated the idea of being an experiment no matter the circumstances.

"Project Nero had just one test subject, the whole point was to bring you back. Just you" Death the Kid emphasised.

"And even that was a challenge; five years. All the top scientists, the best technology money could buy"

X breathed out a harsh breath of air, trying to get his head around the thought. Someone had gone out of their way to bring him back to life? What for? Why him?

"The…the last thing I remember is the Normandy getting toasted, did anyone else make it?" he asked, the first unselfish thing he had asked.

"Just about everyone survived, a couple of crew on the lower decks were killed, and former Teen Titans Garfield 'Beast Boy' Logan and Terra Blake died during the first attack, but the rest managed to jump ship in time" he explained.

"You said the whole galaxy thinks I'm dead…why would the DWMA care if I died or not? In fact why do you care so much?" X interrogated.

"…You know how great artists aren't appreciated until their dead? Well I guess you could say the same thing happened to you" he responded, almost laughing.

"Say what?" X asked, almost in disbelief.

"All your thefts over the galaxy, the ones that the Council tried to sweep under the rug at least, all of them were exposed to the public. The Noveria Incident, The Local Cluster's VI, all your heists on the Citadel, each of them came to light, and everyone thinks that you're the thief that undermined C-Sec and galactic security" he revealed.

"Get out of here!" X grinned, not believing what he was hearing.

"Nope, however everyone believes that you died on the Normandy, you saved the life of Richard 'Robin' Grayson, and everyone remembers you for it" Death the Kid explained.

X didn't know what to think, he had practically thrown his life away on that ship, and in the end all it ended up doing was cementing his name, he wasn't sure whether to feel proud, scared or just plain confused.

"Okay then, so who are you exactly?" X asked, directing the question on the dark-clothed boy.

"Death the Kid, I'm in charge of the station's security" he introduced, taking a slight bow. X raised an eyebrow in surprise.

"Seriously, that's your name?" X asked.

"Uh-huh, but just call me Kid, everyone else does" he said, neither insulted nor annoyed about his name.

_"Kid? Okay, that's too ironic for comfort, the first person I meet just happens to share the title I gave to Bird Brain? That's going to take some getting used to"_ X thought to himself.

"You're…a bit young, to be a security chief aren't you?" X asked.

"Depends on who you ask, I served as a DWMA soldier for most of my life before coming here. I have to say, usually a lot more quiet than this – don't really use my guns unless sits target practise, but I guess that's what happens when you come to the party" Kid shrugged.

"Speaking of target practise, any idea why all these mechs are attacking, and why?" X asked, looking over the broken mechanical bodies they had dealt with.

"Damned if I know, I was about to get some sleep when every mech in the facility starting firing…at us" he growled.

"Disgusting machines, I reckon it had to be an inside job, there's no one on the outside that could hack every mech all at once, didn't seem to be a problem for you though, I guess she made the right choice bringing you back" he said complimenting, the thief.

"Wait a sec…" X said, his mind instantly flashing back to his earlier endeavour in crossing the facility.

"When I first woke up there was this woman shouting orders over a loudspeaker, she got me through the security mechs, said she needed me for something" X explained.

"Seras Victoria, she's the station's highest ranking officer. She led the Nero team, it was her job to bring you back to life, no matter what" he explained. He grinned suddenly, as if finding something amusing.

"Should have figured she would try to save you, after all, she's not about to give up on you now" he explained.

X frowned, visions of a blonde haired woman slipped through his mind, but they were still a blur. It didn't matter anyway, knowing how persistent that woman was; he didn't doubt he would end up speaking face to face with her.

"You said you lost contact with her? Could you tell what was happening?" Kid asked.

"There was a lot of static, but I heard gunfire and an explosion right before I lost her" he described. Kid's brow deepened in concern, however he didn't seemed to panicking over the situation.

"Seras knows how to take care of herself, but I hope she's alright" he said quietly.

Both were knocked out of their thoughts when more explosions occurred, nearly knocking them off balance. They were close, which could only mean that they had company approaching, fast.

"What's the quickest way to those shuttles?" X asked, very eager to escape.

"Depends, if the mech hostility is too thick then-"

"Check! Check! Is anyone on this frequency? Goddamit someone answer me!" a new voice was heard; X peered down to a holographic field over Kid's right hand. He instantly put his left hand to his ear, where X noticed he had a small communications device fitted.

"Suzaku? This is Kid, I'm here with Red X – we just took out a group of hostile mechs over in D-Wing" Kid replied.

"X is alive? How the hell…never mind! You need to get him out of there! Get through the service tunnels and head towards the network control room!" Suzaku's voice yelled out.

"Roger, stay on this frequency and get to cover! We'll meet up with you soon!" Kid instructed.

"That name rings a bell…I think there was a Suzaku checking up on me when I woke up one time" X thought aloud.

"That's him, chief of medical tech, answer directly to Seras" he explained, X could only snort in response.

"Is there anything that girl doesn't control?" he asked rhetorically.

"She's not someone you'd question on a whim, that's for sure" Kid said with chuckle, before snatching out both of his guns and heading towards the end of the bridge.

"Come one, service tunnels are this way" he instructed. X cracked hs neck before unsheathing his wrist blades in preparation for what certainly was another scuffle with the mechs.

"Lead the way"


	7. Operatives Of Cerberus

Cerberus Rising 

Stage Zero: The Life, Death and Rebirth of Red X 

Chapter Six: Operatives of Cerberus 

X wasn't the type of person to let fear get into him, after handling jobs like he'd undertaken; you had to have a level head and keep clam at all times. If he'd let stress and panic get the better of him, then he would have been locked up long ago by galactic security.

But standing inside a passageway with the lights flicking on and off automatically, with several bodies blown apart by heavy mech gunfire was enough to even unsettle him.

"Disgusting…whoever hacked our security and caused this is going to pay!" Kid growled, obviously more angered by the sight then sickened by it.

X remained quiet as they proceeded, boots often stepping into the small pools of blood that blocked their path, leaving deep red imprints as they went, like shapes formed when flesh met sand.

The thief couldn't really take the time to appreciate the grim and horrific sight before him. His mind was in such a state that the haunting images of dead bodies seemed only like a prick from a single thorn inside a vast undergrowth of spikes.

"_Five years…five years!" _His mind constantly repeated the same two words over and over again like a broken record.

"_Who would spend five years trying to bring me back? And what for? I doubt any of these guys would resurrect just to ask me to steal something" _he wondered, his fingers were constantly twitching - ready to launch a projectile shuriken in a single second.

His gaze then fell to Kid, who seemed to take note of each of the staff that died, as if mentally recording their faces in preparation. The likelihood being that he was building himself up for when they encountered the next wave of mechs. His yellow eyes were hollow, unreadable.

X never had, or had the intention of, respecting his enemies. In his line of work, if you respected anyone who was or could potentially try and take you out, you tended to make them insignificant in your mind. That way when they come at you, guns blazing, they were nothing more than an obstacle that could be knocked down without pity or remorse.

Regardless, he would be a fool to ignore the fact that the young man was dangerous, and could wield those guns to an expert degree.

"_I've got no choice but to run with this guy for now, he's going out of his way to try and get me out of this hellhole, but…"_

He immediately averted his gaze when he found the ex-DWMA soldier meeting his stare with his eyes, no expression or emotion visible on his face. It was as if he could intrude and read his every thought, and keep his own thoughts to himself without revealing anything, he didn't need a mask.

X didn't even to finish his thought track, it was very clear that if Death the Kid decided to turn on him at any point, things would get very ugly very fast.

"Let's hope it doesn't come to that" he found himself whispering, watching as Kid pressed a few holographic controls on the door in front of them.

"Okay, just through here and we should-" Kid found himself being interrupted when the pair found themselves staring into what appeared to be an engine room, pies dividing half the room, weaving in and out through the ground. Piercing red light had coated the room in a blood-coloured shade.

And there was also the fact that there were several mechs, armed to the teeth, staring back at them.

"Targets identified"

* * *

Kid fell to the floor, pushing himself forward so he slid and crashed into the pipes for cover. X had literally dived forward like an Olympic gymnast to escape the hail of gunfire that filled the grisly corridor.

"Damn it Suzaku! This room is crawling with mechs!" Kid yelled over the frenzy of the bullets straight into his radio, drawing his guns simultaneously.

"The whole facility is crawling with mechs! I'm doing the best I can!" the same voice yelled back over the frequency, though it was hard to make out with a swarm of machines descending upon them.

Kid let out an agitated cry as he flung himself over the pipe and unleashed a hail of gunfire upon the first mech he saw, tearing through it, soaking the bullets in like a sponge.

However, it cost him too much time, as two other mechs had already identified and raised their weapons. Kid whirled around, only to be knocked back by the blunt end of the machine's assault rifle.

"Oh hell!" he cursed as both machines pulled the triggers on their weapons.

The intense whirl of crimson blades blinded him briefly, as a shadow dashed over in front of him and efficiently cut through the arms of the mechs with a deafening screech.

X didn't waste any time, he rolled in-between the temporarily stunned mechs before slamming his palms on the backs of their helmets, instantaneously causing their heads to explode and their mechanical bodies fall to the ground.

Kid had to blink a couple of times to make sure he was seeing things properly. A grey gloved hand extended towards him, and he eagerly took it to help himself up.

He looked at the thief with the confused eyes.

"What?" X asked.

"Nothing, just…didn't expect you to save me" Kid answered quietly.

"I'm not about to let my only ticket off this hellhole get killed" X responded plainly.

Kid nodded, watching intently as the thief went to work unlocking the door at the far end of the room, hands effortlessly sweeping through the holographic defences, like it was second nature to him.

"_Interesting, it appears that I underestimated his skills, as well his morals, it's just like Seras said…"_ he thought as he watched the doors fly open. X cracking his wrists out of habit.

"_He's a grey area, all of him" _

Letting the thought fall to the back of his mind, he raised his arm and pressed the communications device inside his ear, agitation and annoyance in his voce as he did so.

"Suzaku, find us another route out of here! Preferably one that doesn't lead into an enemy squad" he yelled.

"Just keep moving towards the control room and-" the voice yelled out, but was suddenly cut off with the sound of mechanical voices closing in.

"Oh god! They found me! Help!" Suzaku yelled out.

"Where are you?" Kid yelled.

"Server Room B! Hurry! They're out of control!" the voice wailed out in panic.

X and Kid didn't waste any time and rushed out through the engine room, leading them to the same familiar white, metal, landscape. There was no sign of opposition, only a long flight of stairs.

Kid was first up, only to find himself blocked by another deadlocked door. Without wasting a breath, he knelt down and got to work trying to unlock, X following close behind.

"Oh god! I'm hit! They shot me in the goddanm leg!" Suzaku's pained voice cried out. Kid bit his lower lip, desperately trying to unlock the door.

* * *

X allowed his vision to wander, and noticed a small control panel in a nearby room, he guessed it was once an office before mechs had marched their way through, and only left bodies and thermal clips in their wake.

What really caught the thief's attention was the computer screen that was left intact.

Not willing to pass up the opportunity, X grabbed the console and began hacking his way into the database, which proved to be fairly easy. Instantly, a holographic recording appeared, holding with it the face of a blonde, blue eyed woman.

"That girl again…"

"_Physical reconstruction of subject is complete, but we still need to evaluate all mental and neurological functions" _

"Mental functions?" X thought aloud, the idea of his mind being experimented on didn't appeal in the slightest.

"_Our orders were clear, make Red X who was before the explosion; the same mind, the same morals, the same personality"_ the girl stated, her tone then became deadly serious.

"_If we alter his identity in any way, if he's not the man he used to be, then The Nero Project will have failed…I refuse to let that happen"_ the girl stated, the recording coming to an end.

X was silent for a moment; none of this was making any sense to him, and all this recording had done was question who these people were even more.

"Why…why would someone try to bring me back exactly as I was? Who would want me back that desperately…?"

* * *

With a final input, the gridlock undid itself, giving Kid access to the to the server room. Inside was a fairly large room, several crates of cargo stacked against each other. The only way out of the room was a small bridge that extended to another deadlocked door at the far side of the room, past a huge container.

Sprawled against a nearby container, was a young man with chestnut brown hair and fair skin, dressed in a long, white and blue outfits, designed for pilots. He was wincing in pain and gripping a wound on his left leg, blood flowing freely from it.

"Kid, look out!" his pained voice cried.

Kid looked up to see a lone mech hiding in the corner, assault rifle already raised. Kid leapt back in a split second, just barely avoiding the first wave of bullets.

Raising both of his pistols, he let out a flurry of bullets, digging into the mechanical skin of the mech, however, it only caused it to stall and raised its rifle for another hailstorm of bullets.

There was a sound of metal clawing its way through metal, as a large 'x' shaped shuriken buried itself in its head, sparks of electricity burst from its forehead before finally falling to the ground.

"I'm really starting to hate these guys" X growled, stepping into the room, and casting his sights on Suzaku, who was now gasping from the pain in his leg.

"You…you were there when I first regained consciousness" he asked, his mind drifting to the time he had woken up in the room of white light.

"Yeah, that was me" he said, forcing a smile, but intense pain from his wound wasn't helping.

"How about we talk about this after we fix up me leg?" he said sarcastically.

"Will this help?" X asked, reaching out with his gloved hand, which was illuminated by a holographic omni-tool, similar to what Kid had used earlier.

As he waved his hand over the wound, red gel began to wash over the wound, scabbing over the torn flesh and knitting it together. After a couple of minutes, Suzaku found that he had the strength to stand up, and all that was left was a sore feeling that pulsated through his leg.

"Thanks X, never thought you'd save my life…guess that makes us even" he grinned, struggling to stand.

"Where did you get the medi-gel?" Kid asked.

"Thief, remember" X answered. Kid could shake his head and laugh slightly, forgetting the most basic part of why X was who he was. He then turned his attention to Suzaku, and his eyes weren't showing complete trust.

"Bastards came out of nowhere and got me in the leg, I thought could shut down the security mechs, but whoever did this fried the whole system, completely irreversible" Suzaku explained as he finally stood on his own two feet

"We didn't ask what you were doing here, in fact, why do you even have security clearance? You were in the Bio-Wing" Kid asked, his eyes forming into a glare.

"Weren't you listening? I came here to try and fix this! Besides I was shot! How do you explain that?" Suzaku snapped back.

X cut both of the two operatives off.

"Hey, I don't either of you! Can we at least find some cover and then figure out whose fault this is" X intervened.

Death the Kid was inclined to agree.

"Right X, we need to find Seras, we can't leave her behind" Kid agreed, but caused a growl from Suzaku.

"Forget about Seras, she was over in D-Wing, the mechs were all over that sector! There's no way she survived!" Suzaku yelled out, obviously assured.

"A bunch of mechs won't drop Seras. She's alive" Kid retaliated, having faith in his commanding officer.

"Then where is she? Why haven't we heard form her?" Suzaku asked arrogantly.

It was becoming painfully clear to the thief that Suzaku didn't have the best relationship with Seras, and regardless of how annoying he had found her at the start of it all; X was inclined to lend his trust towards her than to this guy, whose whole job here seemed built on spite.

"There are only two possible explanations, either she's dead…or she's a traitor!" Suzaku snarled, the mere thought of the woman making his blood boil.

"A traitor? Then why would she wake me up and warn me about the attack?" X asked, staring straight into the eyes of the Nero team-member. His mask's grim appearance did wonders when it came to intimidation.

"Seras was devoted to this Project, she dedicated herself to it completely, it makes no sense she would try to ruin everything now" Kid agreed.

"Okay! Maybe she's not a traitor!" Suzaku yelled back, obviously annoyed that the theory had been swept aside.

"But that doesn't change the facts! We're here, and she's not. We have to save ourselves!" he urged.

He then turned his attention to the door that was located behind the large container, which held various crates, several steel bonds holding it down.

"The shuttle bay is just a few-" Suzaku found himself cut off when the door suddenly opened from the outside, revealing a swarm of mechs which flooded in like bleached, metal hornets.

"These things don't know when to quit!" Kid yelled out as he took cover and unleashed his signature pistols, blinding letting the bullets fly.

X let loose a few of his own projectile shuriken, but it only served to dent them as they began to take combat positions.

"Any bright ideas soldier boy?" X yelled at Suzaku who was also taking cover over by a nearby crate.

"Just one…" he responded, he raised his fist, which was now pulsated with a violent blue light. Kid noticed this as well, and a look of panic quickly spread across his face.

"Overload?" he yelled out, not once relenting in his fire.

"Only way to take them out in one shot! You two give me some cover!" Suzaku yelled as he charged forward.

"_Damn punk!" _X thought aggressively, but regardless still drew the fire of the mechs by bombarding them with projectile shuriken.

Suzaku leapt over nearby crates and charged towards the large container until he was in grasping distance of it. When he was, he flung his palm out, where the vibrant energy that had been building up was instantly channelled onto the crate, which, within seconds, exploded with intense ferocity.

Whatever mechs weren't taken down by the volley of shuriken and bullets were blown to bits by the shockwave of the explosion.

X stood up form his cover, and walked forward towards the door, barging past Suzaku as he did, earning a growl from the facility operative. The thief wasn't really concerned; he just wanted to get the hell off the space station, as quickly as possible.

"Okay, we took them down, but this is getting tense" Kid spoke out, sheathing his pistols and catching up to the thief. His voice was now deadly serious, as if he were revealing a great secret or releasing an unsteady burden.

"X, if I tell you who we work for, will you trust me?" Kid asked.

This defiantly caught the thief's attention; he whirled around and faced the pair, arms crossed, and accusing eyes biting into both of the operatives. Both could tell he was sick of being kept in the dark.

"This really isn't the time Kid" Suzaku insisted, following closely behind.

"We won't make it if he's expecting up to shoot him in the back!" Kid yelled back, determined to make his case.

"If you want to piss off the boss, then it's your ass Kid!" Suzaku snorted, shaking his head in disapproval.

Kid ignored him and focused on Red X, who was very impatient for answers.

"The Nero Project, the program that rebuilt you…it's funded and controlled by Cerberus" he explained.

* * *

"_Damn you…" the butch man struggled to get free form the shadow's gloved grip, but ultimately failed. _

"_I won't forgive your for this!" he spat out, his face soaked in blood from his broken nose and various other blows and cuts inflicted onto his face. _

"_Oh, I'm sure that'll stop me from sleeping at night, now hand over the hip or I break your neck!" he threatened. _

"_I did some digging on you; I know you don't kill, that you're too much of an honourable thief!" the man spat, laughing as he did. _

"_He doesn't…" a new voice, this time belonging to a woman, entered the scene, face shrouded by a purple mask. _

"_But I don't mean filling in for him" she said, raising a heavy pistol to the man's forehead, who went white with fear. _

"…_S-Shit!" he cursed. _

"_You heard the lady, now had over the data like good boy before you end with a hole in your head!" the masked man warned, skull mask visible in the light of the club outside. _

_Reluctantly the man reached into his pocket and pulled out a small pad, holographic data streaming across in a bright yellow colour. After which he was tossed to the floor like a ragdoll, badly beaten and bruised. _

"_You bastard X…you're no different from that psychotic group, Cerberus!" he yelled, wiping the blood form his mouth. _

"_Aw, now you've gone and hurt my feelings" the man with the crimsons 'x' pained across his left eye replied sarcastically. _

* * *

"…Cerberus, huh..."


	8. Escape

Cerberus Rising

Stage Zero: The Life, Death and Rebirth of Red X

Chapter Seven: Escape

"Cerberus…" X repeated the word aloud.

Kid remained his calm and collected self, however it appeared that his concern was completely focused on X's response. Suzaku wasn't as interested, but seemed concerned none the less; he was a part of the organisation as well.

"I've heard some rumours about you guys; some kind of pro-human splinter group right?" X asked.

"Well, that's how the DWMA wants people to believe, but there's more to it" Kid stated, spitting venom at the mere mention of the opposing organisation.

"Everyone knows you're dead because the ex-Titan Robin declared it, against the DWMA's orders, if it had been up to them you would have been forgotten in an instant" he explained, subtle anger in his voice.

"Cerberus was different, they spent a fortune to bring you back" he declared.

X stared back in silence, trying to take the new information in. In the space of two hours, he had woken up in a facility that was on the verge of self-destructing, found out he'd been dead for five years, and to top it all off – the guys funding the whole thing were regarded as intergalactic terrorists who had a strong racism against everyone except humans.

Needless to say, it was like waking up from a really bad hangover…

"Look I'd be suspicious too, but right now we've got to work together if we want to get out of here alive, I thought you'd deserve to know the truth" Kid continued, taking his silence as his answer.

"Truth? You think I'm going to buy that a group of psychos brought me back out of the goodness of their hearts? Get real! I want answers now!" X demanded.

Kid sighed, the situation taking its toll on him, but still seemed to have a nearly limitless tolerance for the thief's outbursts.

"After we get out of here, I'll take you to the Illusive Man, he'll explain everything to you, I promise" he swore.

X's sudden anger turned to confusion.

"Illusive Man?" he asked.

"That's not his real name; it's a title the DWMA gave to him when he escaped their grip numerous times" Kid explained.

"The name just kind of stuck" Suzaku added.

"He's the chief executive and founder of the Cerberus organisation, our esteemed leader, as it were" Kid concluded.

X dwelled on the matter, one man had slipped under the DWMA's radar so far that no one knew his real name, plus funded an illegal organisation that could afford to bring a person back to life, yet its origins and existence still remained a mystery to the general public.

The word 'envy' crossed the thief's mind several times the more he thought about it. However, he pushed the matter aside and focused on the two operatives. If anything he could afford to give them the opportunity to show him why he was here. After all, he was here because of their organisation.

And that meant this Illusive Man had arranged and funded it all.

"…Fine, but if your boss doesn't pull his end, then you can officially add me to your list of enemies, and trust me, you don't want that" X responded sharply.

Suzaku seemed slightly angered at the thief's response, but Kid seemed slightly relieved, finding some solace in his answers.

"Fair enough, now let's get out of here"

* * *

"Mech resistance should be at it's weakest here, if we're lucky there may not be any-" Suzaku cut himself off, and suddenly felt lucky he was standing behind X and Kid, so that his blush of embarrassment wasn't visible.

The area was brightly lid; there was a bridge a few metres away which led to both a bloodstained, broken office building and the shuttle bay on opposing ends. Before that there was a drop to a lower platform where several crates were tumbled together.

And there were mechs were everywhere…

"You were saying?" X asked.

Kid already had his pistols drawn, ready to finally make his way off the station. X copied the operative and drew a shuriken between each finger, while Suzaku slowly drew a pistol he had kept stashed by his right hip.

All the mechs, about twenty in total, set their sensors on the trio, assault rifles and pistols all drawn, following their programming of securing that every hostile was taken out.

And due to the widespread hacking, anything that moved was considered a hostile.

"Hostile detected, lay down your firearms and-" the lead one spoke out, raising its pistol.

Five shuriken to its head did an impressive job of shutting it up.

"Come on, you metal bastards!" X yelled, tossing his remaining projectiles in an arch formation, sending concentrated explosions all over the place.

The three had just managed to get to cover just before the counterattack hit them, hard. The one mech that was stationed in the small gap below the main bridge was quickly gunned down by Kid, taking his pistols right to its head.

"You have quite the explosive tendencies!" Kid remarked, both of them taking shelter behind crates, leaving a solid gap in the middle where all the mech's gunfire seemed to be focused.

"You should see me after I'd had a drink!" X responded, the centre of both his palms lighting up with an intense crimson colour.

The gunfire was only getting more intense, Suzaku was screaming something about it was suicide to keep going and that we should head back into the complex and find cover, but it was drowned out by the sound of each mech pulling the trigger.

"You have a plan?" Kid asked. The thief took a peak around the side of his now bullet-ridden defence, spying and mentally calculated the positions of the mechs.

"Depends, can you give me some good cover?" X asked.

Kid responded with a smirk, before pressing his back fully against the crate, he then directed his attention to Suzaku, who was lying on his front, taking cover from overhead mechs who seemed determined to gun him down.

"Suzaku, I need a widespread Overload in about five seconds, targeting the mechs gathered on the main bridge!" Kid yelled over to the other operative.

"What? Are you insane? If I do that I'll get torn to ribbons by bullets!" he yelled out.

"It wasn't a request! Five seconds!" Kid barked, ignoring his pleas. He then shut his eyes and taking in a deep breath, mentally counting down.

"You're crazy!" Suzaku yelled, but it was too late.

"Now!" Kid yelled, using all the force in his legs to push him into the air, using the added momentum of the crate to push him through the air.

Soaring towards the main bridge, every mech had set's sight, and its weapons, all on the Cerberus operative, ready to fire and rip apart mid-air.

A burst of blinding blue light caught all of them off guard. The blast, loud as a sonic boom, tore some of the mechs to pieces, while others were stunned; their circuits fried.

Kid swiftly landed and thrust his guns forward, shooting in front, behind, everywhere. Despite the relentless assault, the few operational mechs that were left began their advance upon on him.

"Kid! Get down!" the Cerberus operative turned to see a caped shadow jump into the middle of the scene, his synthesized voice shouting, his palms shrouded in a red light.

Not wasting a second, Kid fell face-flat on the floor, watching as X swung both his arms to opposite sides, where from the centre of his hands erupted two powerful beams of red energy, tearing through the nearest mechs like paper.

With a jolt form his legs, X forced his body to the right, spinning his body in a full 360 degree circle, cutting through every mech on the bridge. When the lasers finally died, all that was left were butchered mechanical bodies, scarily similar to how the officers on the station had been killed.

X let out a deep breath and fell onto one knee, his hands were sore, maybe even burnt. Regardless, he had fought, bled and cut his way through to the shuttle bay, and he found that he was frighteningly good at taking out mechs.

"That was quite a gamble" X turned to see Kid's extended hand, and considering he was too drained to decline, accepted it and was put back on his feet.

"You try being a professional thief, this was nothing" he responded, laughed hinged at the edge of his words, Kid's smiling face reflected his words.

"Let's go!" Suzaku yelled, who was already halfway to the door leading to the shuttles, and was quickly hacking his way through.

X and Kid easily caught up to him, just as the sound of parting doorways reached them, where the pair were met with a sight that made them stop in their tracks, and their eyes widen.

"Come on, the shuttles are just past-" as Suzaku, he too was met with the sight of a blonde woman with pale skin, deep blue eyes similar to an ocean, and dressed in a blood-red outfit that fell to her thighs, her expression was not that of a cheerful person.

"Seras…!" Suzaku spat out, going white in fear.

"H-How! I thought you were-"

Seras raised her pistol to his face, and even before could blink, pulled the trigger. From where X was standing, all he saw was Suzaku's face explode into chunks of flesh and blood scattering everywhere, he fell back, unmoving.

"Dead?" Seras responded, finishing the dead man's sentence.

Shock aside; X raised his palm up, projectile shuriken armed. At such close range it would have torn right through her skull. Kid was a little more stunned, unable to take his eyes off of Suzaku's corpse, but managed to bring himself out of it.

"What the hell are you doing?" he yelled at the woman, not out of anger of fear, but out of sheer shock.

"My job, Suzaku betrayed us" she explained calmly, her British accent now apparent, she then turned her attention to X, and scoffed.

"Oh please X, I know you spent the last of your suit's xynothium supply on that fancy stunt, so drop the act" she replied, brushing hair out of her eyes.

X grit his teeth, but slowly lowered his arm, he then looked down to the bleeding mess that was now Suzaku.

"Did he really deserve that kind of welcome?" he asked, Seras's response was sharp, strong and guilt-free.

"He sabotaged the security systems, killed my staff, and would have killed us all, so yeah, he did"

"Are you sure? We've known Suzaku for years, you could be wrong" Kid said, glaring at his superior officer.

"I'm never wrong, I thought you would have learnt that by now Kid" she said, wiping a few drops of blood off the side of her pistol.

"Arrogant, aren't we?" X thought aloud.

"Confident, there's a difference, thought you would have known that better than most" Seras said, setting her eyes on him, giving him an unsettling feeling in his gut.

"Why would Suzaku betray us like this? It makes no sense" Kid muttered to himself.

"My guess is payoff, someone wanted X dead and bribed Suzaku into turning this facility into a battlefield to do so, nearly succeeded to" she explained.

"Do you really think Suzaku is capable of that?" Kid asked.

"Not anymore" Seras said firmly, not showing any sympathy towards the dead lump of flesh that lay bleeding on the floor.

X stared at the corpse, and any pity in him vanished like paper inside a burning fire, he snarled at the body and focused his attention back on Seras, whose eyes followed him intently.

"I knew there was something about that punk I didn't like, looked like he was waiting to put a bullet in my back" he thought aloud.

"Good instincts, some people a far too trusting to that coming" Seras complimented.

"So, what now?" X asked.

"We grab this shuttle and get out of here; my boss wants to speak to you" Seras explained, and almost immediately deepened his gaze, crossing his arms and staring down the officer.

"You mean the Illusive Man? I know you both work for Cerberus" X declared, a hint of bitterness and spit in his voice.

"Ah Kid, I should have known your conscious would get the better of you" Seras sighed, shrugging her shoulders at her lieutenant.

"Lying to X isn't the way to get him to join our cause" Kid said firmly, defended his decision of explaining the truth behind their identities and their allegiances.

"Well, since we're getting everything out in the open; anything else you want to ask before get out of here?" Seras asked.

"Off the top of me head? Where were you during all of this, seemed a little convenient that you showed up just now" X questioned, sarcasm in his voice. Seras raised an eyebrow.

"You mean besides trying to save your life? I figured out Suzaku had hacked the mechs and tried to stop him, but he sent a full wave to intercept me. I got here as son as I could…maybe a little to soon if you ask Suzaku" he grinned, taking one last look at her once companion.

"Well what about the other staff? You're not going to wait for them?" X accused.

"Don't you get it? The only one worth saving is you, everyone else is expendable" Seras said forcefully.

"You don't seem to care that all your colleagues are dead" X snapped back. He may have been a thief, be wasn't so heartless that he'd leave everyone else to rot.

"She's right X; we all knew the risks when we signed up for this, without you there's no point to any of this" Kid agreed, standing with his superior.

"No point huh? Why did you create the Nero Project? What does Cerberus want from me?" X demanded, Seras seemed a little more reserved by that question, even biting her bottom lip when thinking of an answer.

"You should ask the Illusive Man, he poured virtually unlimited resources into bringing you back, obviously he has some kind of plan for you" she finally responded.

X took in a deep breath, now that he had time to stop, he realised that his heart was pounding and his blood pressure was running high. The whole experience had taken its toll on him.

"Fine then, where are we going?" X asked, rubbing the back of his neck in annoyance, and trying to shave off the stress.

"Another Cerberus Facility, the Illusive Man will be waiting for you there" Seras said, glad that the thief had decided to go along with them.

"Let's go, I've had enough of this station to last a lifetime" X replied, eager to escape the sickening place.

"Or five in your case. Come on" Seras ordered, leading them through the gates towards the shuttle.

* * *

In the eternal blackness of space, a white spark flew through its dark seas, away form the station where so much blood had been spilt. The shuttle cruised its way through the darkness, its three passengers sitting in silence.

On board, Red X dwelled on his resurrection, and knew his life was only going to get more difficult from then on.


	9. The Illusive Man

Cerberus Rising

Stage One: Hounds Of The Illusive 

Chapter One: The Illusive Man 

X sat with his back against the wall of the very cramped compartment, drifting from the window outside which displayed the beautiful black of space, to the pair of Cerberus officials who watched him like a hawk.

Needless to say, it was a very awkward and uncomfortable journey.

The shuttle itself was set on autopilot, quickly dashing through the dark and heading towards their destination, another Cerberus Facility. After what he had experienced just a few hours ago, X was defiantly not looking forward to visiting another one.

"Before you meet up with the Illusive Man, there are few tests we should run to make sure your memory is intact" Seras finally spoke up.

"Come on Seras, more tests? I can vouch for X's combat skills, so there's no need to subject him to more of your mind games" Kid intervened on the thief's behalf.

"It's been five years, we don't know the full extent of the mental damage that X received after the explosion" Seras insisted.

"Five years…I can't believe I've been gone that long" X thought aloud, the fact now settling in, chilling him to the bone.

"The galaxy has changed since you were sleeping, that's for sure" Seras said, not even looking up from the datapad she had in her hand, scanning through information and incredible speed.

"_Why do I have the distinct impression she doesn't like me"_

"Now, we'll start with a few questions to see if your memory is in tact. You were Earthborn, but after Mass Relays were discovered you moved to the Citadel" Seras examined.

"Our information states you pulled some big heists over the few years you were there, one that involved taking down the infamous Millennium Earl, the broker for all of Citadel's black market" Kid stated.

"Yeah, I pulled a heist for him to steal a data chip worth billions, something that held information on the Cybermen; a blueprint of how to interrupt their synthetic neural links with each other" X explained.

"The Noveria Incident" Seras stated.

"You managed to steal data like that from the heart of intergalactic trading and security, that's damn impressive" Kid agreed, openly impressed with thief's work.

"But you never ended up closing the deal with the Earl?" Seras asked, checking over her scans again.

"The bastard didn't hold his end of the bargain; the second I got off Noveria he sent a group of commandos after me, nearly ended up dead" X snarled, remembering the assault perfectly.

"But you escaped, and kept the chip for yourself?" Seras questioned eager for answers.

"…Not exactly" X shuffled uncomfortably in his seat.

"Why? What happened to it?" Seras asked, questioning him further.

* * *

"_Here, take it" he said, tossing the small black object over his shoulder, not even looking back as the woman caught it, staring at it through her purple veil, hands shaking. _

"_W-What?" he voice was shaking not with fear, but with sheer shock, as if he had just handed her a diamond or something of equal value. _

"_You need it more than I do, besides, this makes us even" the masked man stated, already starting to walk away, out of the ruins of the club. _

"_T-Thank you…I won't forget this!" she stated, her voice filtered just as his was, both by masks. She then straightened up, as if suddenly remembering something important. _

"_Wait! You know my name, but I didn't get yours" she asked, cradling the chip with such care as if it were a newborn child. _

_The man in the skull mask turned to face her, somehow everything about her made him feel like he crossing that infamous line, the line that had once blurred when he played the hero, one too many times for his liking. _

"_Your better off not knowing" he stated. _

"_Please tell me" she asked._

_"Why?" _

"_It's just…surely the Council will want to know who found out about Aizen!" she insisted, however her tone became much quieter when she received a fierce glare form the masked man. _

"_No! When they ask, you don't mention me in any way, I wasn't here, we never met" he barked, causing the girl to flinch. _

"_But…okay, I won't say anything about you to the Council…but tell me you name for my sake" she insisted yet again. _

"_Why? What do you get out of it?" he asked. _

"…_So that when I return from my Pilgrimage, I want to know who it was that helped me get so far, I…I want to know who to thank for everything" she stated, almost whispering. _

_Inhaling a deep breath the man stepped out into the corridor, which was still stained with old blood form the previous scuffle, bullet holes and marks from exploded grenades lay everywhere. He could even hear the woman sigh; he could see her shoulder slump form the corner of his eye. _

"_Red X" he spoke out, before pressing the central button on his belt, and disappeared from sight.

* * *

_

"That's his business Seras, we don't need to pry into every part of his life" Kid interrupted X's train of thought.

The Cerberus officer reluctantly sighed and dropped the matter, which the thief was greatly thankful for, the issue still weighed on his mind.

"Fine, lets try something a bit more recent" she said, scrolling down her datapad and finding the appropriate information.

"Leading on from the Noveria Incident, you went off the radar from about a year before returning to the Citadel?" Seras asked.

"When you get jumped by a bunch of killer Waterbenders, you're bound to have a few injuries" X replied sarcastically.

"I see, but after you recovered you went after the Earl's leading representative?" Seras continued.

"An ex-member of C-Sec turned criminal by the name of Luke Valentine?" Kid asked, being more specific.

"That's right" X agreed.

"There you came across data that concerned a Shinigami by the name of Sosuke Aizen, one of the Council's greatest operatives, information that compromised his status as a member of the elite Shadowsteps, as well as the rest of the galaxy?" Seras asked.

"How did you know-?"

"We're a very well informed organisation, now answer the question" Seras insisted, earning her a bitter stare from X, but ultimately decided to let it slide.

"Yeah, I…uh, found a recording from a dead Cyberman, turned out that the Council's favourite little veteran was working for the opposing team" X explained.

"Aizen was behind the attack on Eden Prime, he'd forged an alliance with the Cybermen and waged war on humanity" Kid stated.

"The guy was a psycho, I knew the Titans were gunning for him, so I got a contact to hand over the information to the Council" X explained,

"Yet you remained anonymous?" Sera asked.

"Last thing I need is those stubborn jackasses coming after me, besides, they never would have believed the info was genuine if I delivered it myself" X shrugged.

"Unbelievable, I mean you practically exposed Aizen! Without that information the Citadel would have been completely unprepared, and the Cyberman would have slaughtered everyone" Kid stressed the fact.

"The Titans brought Aizen down, nothing to do with me" X dismissed the idea, despite Kid's statements about heroism.

"I'm inclined to agree, now there are more test we should run" Seras said, digging out new information from her datapad.

"Enough tests Seras, you and I both know X's memory is fine and he's fully combat capable, he handled those mechs well enough" Kid sternly insisted, putting a stop to his commanding officer.

"…Very well, we'll just have to hope out little field test was enough"

* * *

Though on the outside, it seemed to be nearly identical to the previous Cerberus Facility, aside from it being rooted into a stationary asteroid, inside it was much smaller and had a much friendlier, if not military, feel to it.

It was evident that there was no medical or clinical factor to this facility, only a sense of authority. At this time, it was almost comforting to X, he was here to get down to business, nothing else, and finally get the answers he wanted.

"The Illusive Man is waiting for you downstairs" Seras stated, eyes not lifting up from her console, herself and Kid were at their respective stations, going through useless information.

Though they pretended to be hard at work, X could feel their eyes watching him as he walked down a small set of stairs, taking him deeper into the complex.

Eventually he found himself walking through a doorway, which automatically shut itself behind him as he entered a pitch black room. He continued moving forward until a piercing orange light stopped him in his tracks.

Orange circles began encircling him, shooting upwards like a pillar. X was familiar with this kind of technology, and wasn't surprised to see the dark room change its surroundings. He then found himself staring in a shadowy room with a massive window at the back, where a fluctuating star was visible.

Sitting in the centre of the room, was a middle-aged man dressed in a black suit, a cigarette in one hand and a glass of whiskey in the other. His eyes were inhuman, to say the least, jade green with snow white irises that scattered in all directions. The thief only had to take one look at him to know he was the guy running the show.

"Red X" he spoke out, his voice like a blend of sandpaper and velvet

"Illusive Man, I thought we'd be meeting face to face" X retaliated, folding his arms and staring down his "employer".

"A necessary precaution, not uncommon for people like you and me" he responded graciously, inhaling the cigarette smoke.

"Let's get one thing straight, you might be the reason I'm still alive, but that doesn't mean I trust you" X growled, keeping up his cold demeanour.

"You need to put your personal feelings; humanity is up against the greatest threat of our brief existence, and we can't afford to let trivial matters get in the way" Illusive Man responded sharply.

"Threat?" X asked.

"Yes, every organic race in this universe is under siege from an enemy that wiped out entire civilisation tens of thousands of years ago, we saw them resurface five years ago when one attacked the Citadel" he explained, fiddling the side of his cigarettes.

"You mean the Cyberman? The Titans wiped out that threat, I saw it myself" X responded.

"Then you remember the creature that managed to decimate the Citadel's defences, the massive machine that called itself Emperor, the herald of the ancient race known as the Daleks" the Illusive Man explained, earning a spiteful laugh from X.

"You find something amusing?" he asked, not a hint of emotion in his voice.

"Dalek? You're just as crazy as Robin and Aizen, you believe in that crap?" X snorted, waving the matter aside, and was met with the Cerberus leader's icy stare.

"The Shinigami may have been a psychopath, but there was truth in his words, he was it's servant. As for your former rival, he saw and eventually defeated it, yet the Council refused to accept his word" he explained.

"With good reason, there's no way something like that could exist" X argued, not believing a single word.

"I see…then maybe you should see it for yourself" the aged man thought aloud, typing in a few controls on the side of his chair, holographic readings appearing.

* * *

Before X could say anything else, the scenery around him slowly began to change, the thief no longer found himself standing in a dark room, or in the space station for that matter. In fact he was standing on a hill, facing a sigh that took his breath away.

It was a large valley, grass that was blood red sprouted form the golden coloured earth, a pale sun gazed down on the thief, with its twin moons slowly circulating around it. Ahead of him shone a city, if you could call it a city; its buildings glittered like diamonds.

X fell speechless, it was like standing inside an artistic masterpiece. It was a paradise that stunned the thief to the core. His eyes drifted from the edges of the valley with its silver coloured river to the meadows below, where the red grass gently swayed, to the city itself, which seemed to pulsate, millions of voices conversing, sounds of machines passing along with the breeze.

It was as if nature and civilisation had found harmony.

Movement caught X's eye, and he looked into he valley to see a figure approaching. As he came within a reasonable distance, the thief could make out his appearance, he looked human, albeit he was wearying dark robes that held several shades of red. As he got closer…the thief realised that it was blood.

The man was stained in blood, several burns and scars had clawed away at his face. The man made his way towards X, before stopping within touching distance; he then looked at X with eyes that were streaming with tears.

"For those that can hear my voice…be warned…they're coming…"

The sounds of explosions reigned overhead like a thunderstorm, X looked up to see the pale sun he overshadowed by hundreds of dark shapes descending like angels of death.

And that was when he heard the voice.

"**EXTERMINATE!"**

There was an ear-piercing screech, followed by several beams of blinding light that descended from the sky. Upon contact, fire erupted form the earth, the light cutting and tearing through the land. From the radiant city, screams of the residents could be heard; figure and blood began to seep through the city.

X clutched his head, trying to block out the horrible sound, the image and sounds to much for him to bear. A fearful cold fell upon him, and the thief looked up to see the shadow of a creature that made his skin go pale.

Its size made most of its appearance obscure, but its blue eye broke through the blackened sky and fell upon the thief and the wounded man. X tried to run, but his legs were frozen in fear, and within moments the machine unleashed another destructive ray on the ground below.

The beam tore right through the man, its brightness ripped away all flesh until only bone remained, but soon that disintegrated as well, the light consuming everything.

Red X screamed as he was swallowed by the destruction.


	10. RedX Revamped

Cerberus Rising

Stage One: Hounds Of The Illusive 

Chapter Two: Red X Revamped 

Red X was gasping for breath when the room returned to its familiar shade of black, the star fluctuated from a swampy green color to a striking yellow. As calm as ever, the Illusive Man took a sip of the expensive liquid and waited patently for X to gather himself.

"Knowing what others don't is often a burden, it'll take for you to adjust, but your eyes have now been opened to the truth" he said, sparing the thief the insult of appearing smug.

"What…was that?" X hyperventilated, trying to catch his breath, unable to take the image of that man's death out of his mind.

"That, was one of Cerberus's most valuable pieces of information, a warning sent by one of the last remaining Time Lords, I assume you're familiar with species" he asked.

X gave a slow nod, trying and failing to regain his composure. He managed to stand back up and stare into the Illusive Man's eyes, knowing he knew what he had just seen, and probably how it was affecting his ideals.

"They disappeared tens of thousands of years ago, gave mankind the technology to colonize in space" X slowly spoke out, trying to slow down his out of control heart rate.

"Wiped out as opposed to extinct, all the work of the Daleks" Illusive Man stated, zero hesitation or doubt in his voice.

X remained silent.

"I can understand this might be hard for you to except, after all a few hours ago you woke up after being dead for half a decade, how are you feeling" he asked, breaking of the end of his cigarette in a nearby ashtray.

"You need to earn the right to ask me those kind of questions" X snapped back.

"Cerberus isn't as evil as you believe; you and I are quite similar in some ways, we both believe in going outside the law to do what needs to be done" Illusive Man queried, rubbing the outside of his glass with his thumb.

"Cut to the chase, why did you decide to bring me back?" X demanded, growing tired of being kept in the dark.

"We're at war" the Illusive Man responded almost instantly, putting down his glass and standing up, walking over towards the holographic representation of the thief.

"No one wants to admit it but humanity is under attack" he said, his voice deep and serious, enough to even unnerve the thief. However the concept was far more unsettling.

"While you've been sleeping, entire colonies have been disappearing. Human colonies" he explained.

The very idea that an entire settlement of people could disappear was more than enough to earn the thief's attention, though he had always insisted his concern was to himself alone, this was enough to cause even him to worry.

"We believe it's someone working for the Daleks, just as Aizen and the Cybermen aided Emperor, you've seen it all form the sidelines, but now we want you're help to stop what could be an even greater threat" Illusive Man explained.

"From what I've heard about you guys, this doesn't seem like the sort of thing you would get involved in. Why is Cerberus so interested?" X asked.

"We're committed to the advancement and preservation of humanity. If the Daleks are targeting us and wiping us out, Cerberus will stop them" he said with determination, unlike the kind the thief had ever heard of before.

"If we wait for the politicians or the DWMA to act…then they'll be no human colonies left" he said, the outcome appearing very likely.

"You seemed pretty convinced that I believe in the Daleks" X glared, folding his arms almost like a defense.

"If my word has no effect, I trust that the warning did its job, you tell me if you believe in them" Illusive Man replied, redirecting the question to X.

"It…" the thief trailed off, his mind tried to block out that horrible image, but it ultimately crawled into his mind like a virus, the blood and fire just as vibrant mentally.

"It seemed…too realistic for it to be fake" the thief finally submitted, inside there was a growing belief in the nightmare he had witnessed while awake.

"The Time Lords wanted to warn other species so that same fate wouldn't befall them, their technology was still far more advanced than ours, they were able to show their end as a way to prevent any more deaths, now people like you and I know the truth, they won't have died for nothing" Illusive Man explained, lifting the thief's spirits, slightly.

"How do you know this is the work of the Daleks?" X asked.

"The Daleks destroy entire species at a time; I'd say the harvesting of hundreds of thousands of colonies filled that definition. Nobody is paying attention to attacks because they're random and in remote locations" he explained.

"I don't know why they have suddenly attacked humanity, maybe because we fought back and ended up killing one of them" he added.

"You could have trained an entire army for what you spent to bring me back, so why bring me back?" X asked, hopefully getting the answer that had weighed on his mind for so long.

"You're unique, not because of your skill as a thief, or your ability to use the suit, but in what you represent" Illusive Man explained.

"You are the grey area, you undermine the law and the underworld, and you have escaped death and authority all your life. Yet you still aid the helpless and have saved lives on countless occasions. In short, you are, as a human, the perfect weapon" he summarized.

The comment caught X completely off guard, he had always thought that he was an outsider, outcast, exile, living on the edge of adrenaline and life, but always looked down upon by others for his selfish deed. But now he was being referred to as the perfect weapon, he wasn't sure how to deal with that, especially if someone as influential as the Illusive Man thought so.

"If what you say is true, and the Daleks do exist, why would you expect me to help you?" X asked.

"I would be disappointed if I could persuade you so easily, and without seeing any of it for yourself" Illusive Man responded, obviously anticipating the thief's lack of trust, he stepped back made himself comfortable in his chair once again.

"I have a shuttle ready to take you to Freedom's Progress, the latest colony to be abducted, Seras and Kid will brief you" he explained.

"Am I volunteering, or being volunteered?" X asked in spite.

"It's your choice X, go to Freedom's Progress and find any clues you can about the abductions. Who was behind it? How are they connected to the Daleks? Anything at all" he explained, lighting up another cigarette.

"And then?" the thief insisted.

"If your search proves to be inconclusive, then you and I can part ways, though I have feeling that even you can't ignore something like this" Illusive Man responded, inhaling the grey whips of smoke.

"…Alright, we'll play it your way for now" X agreed reluctantly, glad he had at least one way out.

"Glad to hear it, there's just one last thing before you go" the Cerberus leader explained, exhaling a cloud of grey air.

"What's that?" X asked.

"Be sure to equip your new suit, I may have spent nearly all my resources trying to bring you back, but that doesn't mean I didn't have enough time and money to afford an upgrade" he said, voice the same as ever.

"I brought you back X, it's up to you to do the rest" Illusive Man concluded, typing away at a few buttons on his console, and before long the connection ended, and X was left in the solitary room once again.

As he headed to turn out of the room, he looked to see a small compartment on the right wall that he hadn't noticed before. He walked towards it, the Illusive Man's words buzzing inside his head like a hornet. He pressed the key the central holographic key, and it slowly opened up to reveal something that made the corners of his mouth curve into a smirk.

* * *

Seras was busy downloading and exporting information on her console, hands moving quickly along the console as if it were a piano. The information was important to Cerberus, and she really shouldn't have been distracted, but even she had to turn her head up and looks as the sounds of footsteps reached her. It was who she was expecting, just not the same appearance.

Red X's new suit was a work of mechanical genius, it had been a small fortune in itself, though it pale din comparison to what was spent to bring the thief himself back from the grave.

The suit itself was the same size and was tailored perfectly to X's height and width. The cloth had been replaced by extremely flexible yet dense material, so no speed was lost, yet by itself it was sturdy enough to be considered armour. It was black, as it had always been; only some parts like the torso were a lighter grey colour, giving off a more phantom image. The mask was a bleach white around the face, while the rest of the remained black, the eye slots were a blood red colour and the 'x' pattern which retained its position over the left eye, thought larger than before and was fused into the mask itself instead of stitched on.

The cape was longer but tattered in five different places, and could have easily concealed his entire figure, but also made it easier to run with, making sure that no one could grab it during a fight. The traditional 'x' pattern was visible, thought it now covered three-quarters of his chest. His belt had been replaced by a smaller white-coloured metal band with two large oval devices alongside his hip. It could no longer be used to store weapons, but still held its job by powering the suit. Leading on from the belt were four wires that were integrated into the suit in order to charge all available weapon systems, but close enough to the material that it couldn't be target by any weapon. The arms were the most different; the grey gloves were replaced by metallic bands that fitted over the black material. Three jagged metal plates covered the lower arm, each a few centimetres apart form one another, while the hand and fingers where covered by smaller, closer metal plates.

X remained silent as he walked onto the bridge, but he could stop himself smiling, he had always hated that his original suit was Robin's creation, now he had his own, and god did he love it.

"_It's official, I'm a badass!" _he thought to himself.

He walked up towards Seras, who had a less than pleased expression on her face, and continued to type away, trying to ignore the thief's presence.

"The Illusive Man is very impressed with you, I'm eager to see if you can live up to expectation on this mission" Seras said, eyes not drifting up to look at X, who could she wasn't at all happy with him being there

"I came over to say thanks for bringing me back with the Nero Project" X shot back at her.

"I hope it was worth it, a lot of people lost their lives in that station" Seras responded, looking up at him with doubtful eyes.

"Are you always this bitchy? Or did I catch you on a bad day?" X snapped back at her, the aggressive tension building between them.

"I believe in what Cerberus stands for, time will tell whether you will become an asset or a liability, I don't want to see all the good we have done be ruined by a thief" Seras spat, venom in her voice.

"Well, you know an awful lot about me, maybe it's time you told me about you" X asked, trying to ease off, somehow the idea of her going feral on him wasn't that appealing.

"Worried about my qualifications? I shoot a mech's head form a hundred yards away or crush it with my vampirism" she replied sternly, tightening her fist.

"Wait a sec, vampire?" X asked, shocked by the word.

"Oh of course, you aren't Cerberus so you wouldn't know, at my birth I was genetically altered, my strength, speed and senses were greatly enhanced, my power resembles that of vampires and I'm very good with it" Seras warned, smirking in confidence.

"Don't feel upset if I'm not convinced" X shot back, obviously in doubt.

"Really? See that crate over there" she said, directing the thief's attention to a storage crate located in the corner of the room.

The thief was going to ask what the big deal was, before a tendril made of a blood-red aura shot out and cut in half, breaking most of the floor beneath it. X whirled around to see Seras, her left arm consumed by an orb of red energy, tendrils formed of energy sprouting out of it. Within seconds however the energy died down and her regular arm came back into view.

"I'll be honest X, I'm not looking for a friend; if had been running the show I would have brought you back with a control chip in your brain, but the Illusive Man wouldn't allow it" she glared, she was niches form the thief and he knew full well should could have taken his head off.

"Then I'm glad he's in charge" X responded, standing his ground and refusing to back down.

"The Illusive Man is taking an incredible risk with you, I just hope his gamble pays off" Seras snarled, ending the conversation.

* * *

X remained quit, and instead headed over, near to the exit of the station where the shuttle laid waiting. He headed towards the end of the railings where Kid was standing, he'd been watching the confrontation and was extremely glad to see that the two hadn't ripped each others heads off. He turned and smiled at the thief's arrival, smirking as he looked at his new appearance.

"Amazing, that suit is a work of art, flawless symmetry!" Kid marveled, X scratched the back of his neck, doing the best to contain his pride.

"Pretty cool isn't it; I hope it's got enough xynothuim to last the trip to the colony" X shrugged.

"The suit doesn't actually run on xynothium, it was too unstable and didn't have enough durability to withstand the test runs we performed with it" Kid explained, catching the thief's attention.

"So what's powering this thing? The Illusive Man's ego?" X asked.

"What you're wearing is known as the X-Suit Ver. Vongola, and I can tell you it's the only one if it's kind" Kid explained.

X had to make sure he had processed what Kid had just said right, and waited for him to say that it was a very unfunny joke, but when his stern expression remained; the thief felt like he would pass out form sheer shock.

"Did you say Vongola?" he nearly shouted out, unable to control his nerves.

"Ah, so you've heard of them" Kid said, leaning his back against the metal railing.

"No shit! They basically controlled the Terminus Systems from nearly two centuries, you crossed them and you were dead!" X spluttered.

"Vongola…the most powerful mafia group the underworld had even seen, they actually were a key contributor to the creation of Cerberus" Kid mused, staring into space.

"The Illusive Man had contact with one of the Vongola Bosses?" X asked, still struggling to take the information in, knowing he wearing something that belonged to the Vongola was almost as hard to digest as knowing the Daleks could be out there.

"I'm still a little hazy on the details, but during the time of the Ninth Vongola Boss, the Illusive Man apparently helped them take out a threat that could have ended their empire. In return, they helped to establish Cerberus, and apparently out of the goodness of his heart, the Ninth gave the blueprints for some of their most powerful weapons"

"Which were?" X asked.

"I'm not sure, all I know is that the Illusive Man spent a pretty penny creating that suit, rumor has it that he spent three years implanting all the Vongola's key technology and weapons into that suit" Kid explained.

"…All of their weapons?" X asked, nearly choking on his own breath.

"In answer to your original question, that suit runs on a substance that the Vongola referred to as 'Dying Will', some sort of super-condensed flame that could be split into a number of elements. The Illusive Man, out of genius or out of luck, managed to integrate them all into the core of the suit itself"

X looked down, marveling what he was wearing yet again, only in a new light. He was basically a walking weapon.

"In short, you're wearing the embodiment of the galaxy's greatest weapons" Kid smiled, easily seeing through the mask and imagined the look on the thief's face.

"_Can't wait to take this thing for a spin"_ X thought to himself.

"I see you and Seras didn't get off to the bests of starts" Kid said through his teeth, looking over to his superior, whose eyes were strictly focused on her work.

"She's all bark and no bite" X remarked.

"Believe it or not, she's actually a nice person, takes her job rather seriously but she's got good intentions" Kid defended.

"She intended to have a control chip put in my brain" X said blankly.

"Yeah, like I said, takes her job seriously, won't trick anything that will bring harm to Cerberus, I'm the same, what we don't agree on is how valuable an asset you are here" Kid stated, shrugging his shoulders.

"Why are you so nice to me?" X asked.

Kid a small laugh before peering over the railing and into the window above, the shields of the station reflected the starlight in, if someone stopped and stood there for a while, they could see a beautiful sight.

"I actually had heard of you before joining Cerberus, I was telling the truth when I said I was a soldier for the DWMA, my family had helped found it in the early days after the First Contact War with the Shinigami" Kid admitted.

"I enjoyed it, it felt good to serve, but after the attack on the Citadel I lost faith in the DWMA, and soon after that, the Council. I tried to move on with my life by joining the Meisters" he explained.

"Meisters?" X asked.

"We were an elite group, humanity's answer to the Shadowstep program; we stopped a Devil Fruit Pirates here and there. But I still felt useless, a puppet ordered around by a group of morons who thought that arguing of politics was more important than saving a colony" Kid continued, agitated by the mere memory of it.

"That's how you made your way to Cerberus?" X asked.

"I had heard about the Noveria Incident, how you actually managed to expose it's corrupt central company, saving a lot of good people from going out of business, however, the DWMA regarded it as a crime. I left the military and ended up meeting the Illusive Man, and here I am today" Kid concluded.

"You both seem to be really passionate about Cerberus; I think you trust this Illusive Man a little too much" X replied.

"I see, so you don't completely trust us yet, understandable" Kid said with a hint of disappointment.

"You seem like an okay guy Kid, I just think you might be working for the wrong people" X explained, allowing himself to be friendly towards the Cerberus operative.

"Noted" Kid said with a nod.

X then headed out towards the doors of the shuttle, typing in a few codes, the doors swung open, revealing a newer, and sleeker, shuttle, all prepped to take them to their destination. Seras and Kid raised their heads to see X, new suit and all, standing by it.

"Alright, let's head to Freedom's Progress"


	11. Freedom's Progress: Part I

Cerberus Rising

Stage One: Hounds Of The Illusive 

Chapter Three: Freedom's Progress Part I - The Mechs

X peered outside the windows of the shuttle as if soared through the cosmos, however the feeling inside was somehow different. Even though the ideas of him being brought back to life, the existence of the Daleks and the missing colonies had shaken him, he felt much calmer, and also ever since speaking with the Illusive Man, felt like he had a bit of authority.

"We should be there shortly X, the Illusive Man put us under your command. Do you have any orders?" Seras asked.

Even though it was evident that she hated him for coming and stealing her thunder, X realised that at the heart of it all, she was a officer for Cerberus, so if boss gave her an order she would follow it without question. That would at least limit the tension between them, long after for the three to get in and out as quickly as possible.

"What did you find at the other colonies?" X asked.

"Nothing, no sign of attack, no corpses, not even a trace of genetic material to give us a clue. They just disappeared, leaving us with no target to go after" Kid answered, just as perplexed by the phenomenon as the thief was.

"_Not a great sign, this whole expedition could end up to be just a waste of time" _X thought to himself, ignoring the fact that some part of him wanted to find something on that colony.

"You two going to be comfortable taking orders form a thief?" X asked, eyes drifting to Seras in particular.

"We didn't you back from the dead just to second guess you, boss, if the Illusive Man says you're in charge then you're in charge" Kid answered for her, referring to X with a nickname that gave him the horrible feeling it was going to stick.

"What makes you think this investigation will bring up anything new?" X asked.

"At other colonies, official investigators got there first. Sometimes looters and salvage teams as well. We're hoping to be the first ones there this time, maybe find something before anyone disturbs the scene" Kid explained.

"What about survivors, if there's anyone left we need to get them out of there" X ordered, conscious getting the better of him.

"That's unlikely X, no one was left at the other colonies, they were completely deserted" Seras spoke out.

"Still, would be nice to find somebody, anything's better than another ghost town" Kid interjected, hoping for the best.

* * *

Freedom's Progress resembled that of a settlement that had been subjected to a cloud of ash. X wasn't sure if it was smoke, soot or some kind of other environmental deformity, but the entire colony was shadowed by a huge sky full of grey.

And with only silence to greet them, it gave the colony the distinct image of a graveyard.

Stepping off of the shuttle, Red X stepped onto the cold ground; his nerves were on such edge that he didn't even need his suit to keep him warm. Seras and Kid followed soon after as the shuttle docked itself, the pair of Cerberus soldiers began to load up their weapons.

Kid had brought his signature pistols; to be honest he didn't even seem to bring anything else. What really surprised X was the monstrosity of a weapon that Seras had brought with her. Aside from her heavy pistol, she had brought some kind of backpack that held a pair of large machine guns that much had weighed several tonnes. She referred to the weapon as Vladimir, and with her vampiric strength she had no problem in wielding it.

"I hope your as good with that suit as your file claims you to be X, one slip up and you could end up a dead man again" Seras said as she loaded her insanely huge weapon.

"Worried about me, sweetheart?" X remarked.

"I just don't like the idea of having to look over your half-dead body in a clinic for another five years" Seras replied, loading several shells the size of a small arm into her weapon.

"There's no need to worry about that, I've seen how he handles it, he's an expert" Kid intervened yet again.

"Let's hope your boss puts his money where his mouth is" X said, serious this time though, closed his fist and set his sights on the colony and quickly made his way into the silent town.

The other two didn't reply and simply followed his lead, they knew when to argue and when to keep their mouths shut.

It wasn't in his file, but both had a feeling that crossing X at this point, after putting him through so much, could prove to be the worst mistake of their careers.

* * *

The outer part of the colony was dead, plain and simple. No electricity and no gridlocks, which saved X loads of time. Considering all the locks on the doors were broken they were wide open, enabling him to slip through houses and then back into the open instead of having to navigate around the entire area.

Passing into a small living accommodation, X felt himself shudder as he looked over into the darkness; the house's emergency power generator was failing, causing the lights to flicker on and off, creating a haunting feel to the place.

Passing over towards the exit, he swept the room with his eyes, it was just an abandoned house, there was nothing to instigate that there had been any kind of struggle.

"Looks like someone decided to get up and leave right in the middle of dinner" Kid remarked as they exited the building.

"Or someone escorted them out" X responded.

Their search continued like this for several minutes, passing through houses that were just deserted. Eventually they navigated their way across a pathway between houses into the open once again. On the one side was a jet-black stream that flowed right through the town, while on the other was a large duty area, it's only notable feature of a giant gate that led into the heart of the colony.

"Strange; no bodies, no structural damage, no signs of battle…" Seras remarked as she slid down the gravelly path, brushing herself off.

X remained silent, making his way over to the giant gate, very similar to the doors on the Cerberus facility, only ten times the size. To his surprise he found that it was locked, which made no sense.

"We're getting nowhere with this, maybe we should inform the Illusive Man" Seras stated, but the thief wasn't listening.

"You guys aren't picking up on the obvious" X said, pressing a hand on the holographic control.

The systems inside his suit got to work, rearranging and hacking its way through the firewalls, the blood-red eyes of his mask suddenly zoomed in so far that he could break through the gridlock without having to manually break through it.

"What makes you think we'll find anything in there?" Kid asked.

"Why would you have a gate this big build between the outer and inner quarters of the colony?" X asked, though he knew the answer already.

"To separate the industry area from the residential area" Seras responded, seeing the question as pointless.

"Let me rephrase that, why would you go to all the trouble of making a gate that had an automatic lockdown?" X explained, his hack complete, the two giant doors beginning to slide apart.

"…In case you wanted to hide yourself inside" Kid answered, keeping a tight grip on his pistols.

"Or keep something out" X stated as he stepped in through the doorway.

* * *

The platform they were on was high above that was connected to a set of stairs which led to the higher accommodations of the colony. From where they were standing, it was set in a giant horseshoe shape, meaning that on the opposite side was another single-story residential area facing them.

X walked forward towards the railings, the Cerberus officers had their weapons drawn and were slowly circling their around, heading form the higher reaches of the colony.

A sound stemming from the opposing colony caught the thief's attention; it resembled the steady high-pitched whirling sound slowly gaining in volume. X knew that sound well; it either occurred when a security system had been tripped and an alarm was triggered.

Or when a security mech was powering up.

"Get down!" X ordered, falling behind the railings, just in time as a hail of gunfire sprayed across the side of the complex.

The bleach-white armour of the security mech glittered in the few beams of moonlight that had managed to break through the seemingly endless cloud of grey. Assault rifle armed, it registered its target and immediately opened fire.

"Hostiles incoming!" Kid yelled, catching the thief's attention, as he turned to see two more security mechs marching towards them.

"More security mechs? Are you kidding me?" X yelled out, just getting over the fact that he had to deal with so many mechs on the Cerberus facility.

Kid and Seras had already taken cover over by some nearby girders connected to the gate. The former Meister was letting loose a volley of bullets at the pair of incoming machines, slowing down their movements.

The one on the opposite side of the area was proving to be a real problems, it had a clear view of the three and managed to graze the two Cerberus officers. X was struggling to keep his head clear form the gunfire, the railing not providing much cover.

"X! On your left!" Kid warned.

The thief looked up to see a new sight; two new mechs were running towards them at high speed. They were much smaller in height than the humanoid mechs, but were much bulkier, have circular heads with four mechanical legs, resembling that of a beast, and they were gaining ground fast.

The dog-mech burst through the line of gunfire held by the operatives and charged towards the thief.

"Oh shit!" X cursed as the machine closed in.

"X use the suit's ammo systems now!" he heard Seras call out, the sound of one the mechs falling to the ground, ripped into scrap metal.

The dog-mech reached its target, planning to charge into him at high speed, tackle him to the ground and leaving his body open to gunfire form the remaining mechs. However, it was left without a target when the thief vanished before its sensors just as it was about to take him down.

"Annoying little bastard aren't you?"

Hyper Intuition fading, the thief reappeared behind it, and slammed him palm on its body, leaving behind an 'x' mark which began to surge with electricity. As the dog-mech turned around for another charge, the mark exploded, taking the machine with it.

Acting on instinct, the thief flung his body back just in time to avoid another volley of bullets from the mech on the opposing platform.

"Okay, time to take this suit for a trial run!"

Rolling to the side to avoid another barrage of bullets, X waited until the mech's rifle overheated, causing a brief pause where it had to reload. Taking his opportunity he brought his arms up, expecting a flurry of projectile shuriken to be released.

The markings on X's lower palms lit up in a vibrant and blinding colour. Just as the mech reloaded and set's sensors on the thief once again, it was met by a blizzard of projectile shuriken which embedded itself in its steel body. Each of the projectiles tore through the machine with such speed it appeared to the thief's eyes as if the projectiles were alight with red fire…

* * *

**Dying Will Projectiles:** _Projectile shuriken that produce a low density dying will flame, enough so that it does not burn the user, but strong enough to tear through even the toughest of defences._ _The most basic of the X-Suit Ver. Vongola's abilities. _

_

* * *

_

"Nice!" X marvelled, startled by the damage he had caused.

His little victory didn't last long as the sound of nearby gunfire ripped him from his thoughts as the last two remaining mechs made their way towards the trio. Not wasting any time darted from his cover and unleashed two projectiles, each at different heights.

The dog and humanoid mechs were caught off guard when the shuriken hit them, nailing them to the ground. Long enough for Seras pull the trigger and unleash several shells of fire which caused such an explosion that not even a scrap of metal was left, only burnt circuitry.

"Everyone okay?" Kid asked, walking towards the pair, the surprise attack had got the better of him and was sweating slightly.

"Never better" X responded casually, cracking his neck and massaging his wrist, not expecting as much recoil with the projectiles, but he assumed he would get used to it.

"It's strange; the security systems on the other colonies were disabled, even so they should have still registered us a human and have stood down" Kid wondered, kicking the fried shell of the dog-mech aside.

"Someone's hacked in and set the mechs loose, we're not alone here" Seras said in caution.

"Well, this makes things more interesting" X said smugly, trekking up the stairs with the Cerberus officials following closely behind.

* * *

They encountered no resistance until they made their way up towards a larger living complex, as they turned the corner a volley of bullets nearly cut through them. One lone mech stood outside a residential apartment, where the lights were on inside. The three flanked back and kept their heads down.

"Looks like somebody's inside?" Kid observed.

"Survivors?" X asked.

"Unlikely, whoever's in there is likely from off-world, they've hacked the security mech and turned it into a lone guard" Seras responded.

"Then I guess we'd better go introduce ourselves" X said confidently, eyes turning to Kid, who admittedly caught his drift and readied his weapons.

The second the mech reloaded its pistol, Kid darted around the corner, arms flung up like a crane and let loose a series of shots onto its legs, break through easily and causing it to lose it's footing. X dashed forward before the mech could recover and thrust his hand onto its chest, the 'x' explosive reacting immediately and took out its torso.

The door automatically opened, and the X was left with a sight that he didn't expect. There were a group of three figures, dressed in similar uniforms with long helmets that concealed their faces; the only thing visible was white slits that resembled eyes.

As soon as they entered the room, the three masked figures drew weapons and took formation as soldiers would. The three Cerberus members instantly reacted in the same manner, weapons drawn.

It was a three-way stand off.

"Lower your weapons now Cerberus!" the lead figure ordered, assault rifle aimed right at X's head, while the thief had his projectile shuriken ready at a second's notice.

"_How do they know about Cerberus?" _X thought aloud.

"Prazza! Stand down! You said I was to handle this!" a fourth voice entered the scene, appearing from the other end of the room.

X's eyes widened, the voice was unmistakably familiar.

She circled the other three masked figures before standing in-between both parties. She was dressed the same as them, although all together different, her suit was tight around her figure, so it was painfully obvious she was a female from her curves. Like the other she wore a mask, but it was smaller and only covered her face, while over it she wore a purple veil that was attached to the upper part of her suit. Her visor was purple, and only her white eyes were visible. She seemed human in appearance if not for her hands having three fingers in a claw-like fashion.

As she set her sights on the opposing party, her expression and body language completely changed to that of shock, staring at the thief, who was currently just as dazed as she was.

"Wait…Red X?" she said in shock.

"Tali'Zorah?"


	12. Freedom's Progress: Part II

Cerberus Rising

Stage One: Hounds Of The Illusive 

Chapter Four: Freedom's Progress Part II - The Quarians 

Red X could hardly believe who he was looking at, and from the way she was looking at him, she was thinking the exact same thing. The only people who were confused was everyone except them, who had no idea what was going on.

"_She looks so different but…no, it's defiantly her; I still recognise her voice" _

"I'm not taking any chance with Cerberus operatives!" the lead masked figure, who had been referred to as Prazza, barked out, guns armed and ready to fire.

"Put those weapons down!" the female masked figure, who X had called Tali'Zorah, shouted out, the subordinates seemed to comply, if hesitantly.

"Red X is that…you're alive?" she said, her voice was trembling.

"You know her?" Seras and Kid yelled out unison, obviously stunned that someone like X would know someone like her.

"Yes I know her; now both of you back off!" X ordered, Kid lowered is guns, while Seras remained in her position, pistol still drawn at the girl.

"Quarians; scavengers and hackers, they may be connected to the missing colony!" Seras accused, addressing the figures by their race.

The quarians seemed incredibly angered by this and kept their weapons up. X could tell things were going to very ugly very quickly if things weren't sorted out. If he was honest with himself, quarians were the last thing he expected to find out here…especially her.

"This coming from Cerberus! Tali'Zorah, you are well aware how dangerous these people are; I say we don't give them a chance to shoot us in the back!" Prazza growled.

"Enough Prazza! The last thing we need here is a fight! Lower your weapons now! Tali'Zorah ordered, though it was obvious her words were falling on deaf ears.

"Them first, I'm not risking anything with Cerberus!" the quarian soldier snapped back.

Tali'Zorah sighed and looked over to X for help, question were written on her face, but realised that they were going to have to be put on hold, at least until this feud could be sorted out. The thief read her signs and turned his attention to Seras.

"Drop you weapon Seras" X ordered.

"X, you can't possibly trust these-" Seras began to rant, but X's hand reached her wrist first and forced her hand down, she looked up, stunned the thief was being so aggressive.

"I wasn't asking! Drop your weapon before I break your hand!" he snapped. Seras held her glare, but it was becoming clear that X's strength was besting her own, his suit's enhancements enough to match her vampiric attributes.

"Victoria. Drop the gun. Now" X said with quiet ferocity.

Seras was tempted to yell back about her own authority, but realised that would get her nowhere with him. Reluctantly, she stopped struggling and lowered her weapon; X released her hand before turning his attention back to the quarians.

"It's been a while Tali" X said casually, trying to not appear so unnerved by her sudden arrival.

"Tali'Zorah, this is bullshit! If this is the guy who assisted you on your Pilgrimage, why would he be working for Cerberus?" Prazza interrupted.

"I don't know, but…" the female quarian, now addressed as Tali, stuttered, obviously looking for an answer.

"This is some kind of trick, just a Cerberus lackey in his costume!" Prazza continued, X felt his fist tighten and the urge to break the quarian's head open over the nearest wall.

"Remember that data I gave you Tali?" X suddenly spoke out, catching everyone off guard.

"Didn't it help with your Pilgrimage?" he asked. The quarian seemed to be taken by this; she looked to the ground, as if reminiscing.

"Yes…it did" she then turned to Prazza and the other quarians, guns still armed and ready to take the three on the spot.

"Drop your weapons Prazza, this is definitely Red X" Tali ordered, resulting in all three quarians slowly lowering their guns, for good this time.

"Data? You don't mean…?" Kid asked, looking at X, who felt himself go red with embarrassment.

"The data stolen from Noveria" Seras stated, eyes staring accursedly into the thief, who pretended not to notice.

X took in a deep breath, his eyes drifting from his feet to the female quarian; there was no escaping the inevitable that had been started by this confrontation.

In her own mind, Tali was thinking the same thing. The shock was still settling in, and though there was doubt surrounding his return, she could not stop herself from remembering the first time that she had seen his mask.

The memories came flooding back.

* * *

**Six Years Ago…**

Dawn had faded into duck, and under the golden glow of the Citadel, the shadowy claws of the underworld began to creep out and spread its dark reach. Once such area, away from the social areas and the political dominated Presidium, were the isolated markets that clung to the lower levels of the Citadel.

Obscure from the eyes of C-Sec and other law enforcement, the Markets were key areas that were inhabited by crooks of all statures. Small time killers lurked in the shadows, ready to unload a clip of thermal bullets into the body of any bystander unlucky enough to make their way down there. Hired goons often patrolled like an elite squadron, surviving from one paycheck to the next, their income dependant on how many bodies that they leave bleeding in the gutter.

This was only scratching the surface, the list of characters only increased in forms of tyranny the deeper you got into the underworld, which led all the way to the heart of the seedy underbelly of the Citadel. The ruling baron going by the name of the Millennium Earl.

The night was young, the Citadel echoed with sounds of both laughs and cries. The younger generation were out, partying and drinking in full swing, the outer layer of the Citadel filling up with merry voices across every street.

Parallel to the world above, the spoils of the Citadel's wealthiest and most influential underworld bosses were hunting through the concrete and glass jungle. Around nearly every corner, a hired mercenary waited, armed to the teeth.

This particular night however, they hand a guest.

Walking down the red neon lit street, a figure dressed in black made her way to the meeting spot that had been agreed upon. Standing in the dead quiet street near the opening of the Market, she waited; her hand not going far from the pistol near her hip.

Her lack suit was skin tight, showing that she was indeed a woman, even if she wasn't human. Her face was hidden by a mask that concealed everything in black, except for her eyes, appearing like two white slits in a dark mist. She wore a black veil that curved down from her helmet to her shoulders.

She was a quarian, a race that was looked down upon by the rest of the galaxy, especially now, considering the Cyberman had only recently attacked the human haven of Eden Prime. As their creators, prejudice was more common (and more extreme) than usual, and even some members of C-Sec loathed their kind.

And here she was, standing it was known as a very dangerous, very corrupted area of the Citadel, ruled by one particular member of the underworld.

"_What are you doing here Tali?"_ she thought to herself, her left hand closed tight, holding onto something for dear life, like it was the only thing in her life that was worth salvaging.

"Well, well, you actually showed up" a voice snapped her out of her thoughts. She looked up to see a man dressed in oily black leather clothes as well as a cap that failed to cover his greasy dark hair.

He had several piercings in his face, but what intimidated the quarian the most was the two sub-machine guns he carelessly swung in his hands, as well as the fiendish smile he carried with him.

The quarian looked around the rest of the street, as if looking for someone in particular, she then set her sights on the man, his expression did not inspire confidence in her. Her hand slowly made its way towards her pistol, praying she wouldn't have to use it.

"Where's Luke? The deal was that he was supposed to show up and buy me safe passage off the Citadel" the quarian, Tali, asked.

"Change of plans sweetheart, my dear brother has other things to attend to, so I came to collect the package in his place, I assume you have it?" he asked, swinging one of the guns over his shoulder.

Tali slowly raised her hand, her three claw-like fingers uncurling to show a blue sphere that dimly shone in the deep red light. The gunslinger grinned, but the expression fell when she closed her hand and slid the sphere in a pocket located on her lower leg.

"What about your end of the bargain? I was guaranteed a ship off the Citadel" Tali demanded, her heart slowly began to sink when all she got was a shrill laugh in return, and the sudden appearance of eight other men, obviously hired mercs.

The brother of Luke Valentine slowly made his way towards her, the other mercs forming something of a circle in order to block her only escape root. She was glad she was wearing a mask so that her fear was hidden from their eyes; however, she was unable to stop her rapid breathing.

"There's been a change of plans, see Luke doesn't want to waste a perfectly good starship on a quarian, but that little piece of data is worth a lot to the Earl, so he sent me to retrieve it and make sure you didn't do anything reckless" he said in a patronizing voice, now standing opposite her, his frame towering over her.

"_This is bad"_ she thought, trying her best not to panic.

"Now hand over the data like a good little freak and I may just let you go in one piece" he grinned.

Tali knew that she often blended bravery and stupidity into one in dire situations, and unfortunately for her, this was one of those times.

"Forget it! No ship, no data, the deals off" she said, pulling the pistol out of its holster, and tightly gripping it in her hand.

"Now get out of my way" she declared.

There was a moment of silence before the entire street erupted into vile laughter, the group of mercs laughing at the young woman, the sound only served to shatter what remained of Tali's confidence.

"Well, well boys! Looks like the quarian has got some fire in her!" the pierced man grinned, gaining the attention of the other mercenaries as if they were loyal troops.

"Let's see how many bullets it takes to put it out!" he declared, brining both his guns up.

He had been so unfocused, so sure of the girl's timid nature and lack of combat skill, that when the sharp pain of a bullet scorching through the side of his face, his whole body shook form the impact. He stared, dumbfounded, as the quarian held her ground, a small trail of smoke rising from the tip of her gun.

"You…you quarian bitch!" he yelled, confidence and sarcasm had been replaced by pure aggression and murderous fury.

Tali mentally cursed, it had been instinct that she had pulled the trigger and he had hoped to have but a bullet right between his eyes. But she hadn't realised how much her hands were shaking and the shot had become ajar.

The illusion of a peaceful trade had been shattered, now it was a matter of survival or a horrible death.

"Kill her!" the orders were swift, but so were Tali's reactions.

Reaching into one of the many pockets located in her suit, she mulled out a disk-shaped device, and wasted no time and throwing it to the ground. The result that followed was a concentrated explosion of smoke that filled the street.

There were several curses from the surrounding mercs, who began to fire their guns into the grey mist. Beneath the weight of the voices and bullet shells, Tali dashed through the smoke, keeping low and praying that none of them spotted the thin shadow that darted between the wisps.

Getting away and escaping was all that dominated Tali's thoughts as she pushed herself through the walls of grey, the orb of data safely stored away. Bullets whizzed over head like hornets, close to catching but never managed to cut her.

The neon red light pierced through the mist, that was already dispersing, but the exit was in sight, all she had to do was blend into the nearest crowd and lay low until she could afford to buy, or if necessary, smuggle herself a ship to escape and make her way to a planet to continue her Pilgrimage.

That ideal was broken when a heavy boot met her spin and brought her to the ground. The last of the mist disappeared, and Tali found herself looking up at several mercenaries, guns aimed at her, expression resembling that of wolves when they had their prey cornered.

"Fucking quarian…did you really think you could screw me over?" the leader spat, his face coated in blood digging his heel into her spine, pressing her full weight down, earning a cry of pain form Tali.

"_Can't…move"_ she thought to herself, panic was now running through her veins, unable to reach her pistol, unable to do anything but close her eyes and await whatever cruel fate was about to bestowed on her.

"I don't think you realise who you were fucking with! I own the muscle on the Citadel! Ain't no way in hell I'm about to get double-crossed by some lowly quarian" he roared, a primal hatred consuming him.

"But...you are still a woman aren't you?" his snarl turning into a grin that made Tali's blood go ice-cold.

"I heard that without those suits you die within minutes, right? Well then, let's see what kills you first, the oxygen…or my men's appetites" he gave a sickening laugh before realising his foot from her back.

"Go on gentlemen! Have your fill! See if quarian bitches scream any louder than humans do!" he ordered.

Tali felt several shadows loom over her, and armoured hands grab at her arms. She threw her arms widely, like a cornered fox, but her strength was outmatched by the several mercs. Hand began to explore and tear at every part of her body, and inside, Tali felt fear grip her like it had never done before.

Her Pilgrimage, no, her life, would end in a dirty street, violated and butchered by the scum of the galaxy.

And no one would morn her death.

There was a scream, and it wasn't her, it had come form one of the shadows above her. She opened her eyes, to see one of the mercs crying in agony, an 'x' shaped shuriken embedded in his shoulder.

"What the hell?" the Valentine brother yelled out.

From the sky above fell a flurry of metallic stars, cutting into several unlucky mercs, cutting and impaling them. Cries and blood poured form their bodies, however they were still alive.

Tali used the opportunity to crawl away, still shaking. She checked her suit, no cuts or ruptures, which meant she would physically be fine. Ignoring her fear and intense heartbeat, she looked around for the assailant that had saved her, but saw nothing but darkness.

Then she saw him appear.

In a flash of black, a masked and caped figure materialised and delivered a fierce uppercut to the first merc he saw, sending him flying. His appearance brought the other mercs out of their comatose of pain and began to shoot wildly.

Disappearing just as quickly as he arrived, the masked phantom fell out of sight. A split second later, her appeared again behind to of the mercs and quickly pressed his hands tot heir heads, where both yelled in pain as they were hit by a sudden surge of crimson electricity. After a couple of seconds, the voltage stopped, and both fell to the floor, unconscious.

The remaining mercs took up their positions, surrounding the figure in semi-circle, guns ready to shred him into pieces. Despite the situation, the figure remained calm and collected, as if amused.

"Alright then, who's first?"


	13. Freedom's Progress: Part III

Cerberus Rising

Stage One: Hounds Of The Illusive 

Chapter Five: Freedom's Progress Part III - The Memories 

Consumed by rage instead of confusion, the lackeys of the criminal underworld charged forward with fists raised and weapon blazing.

Disappearing in a blur, the masked figure proceeded to land bone-crunching strikes on each of the thugs before vanishing once again, like a phantom fading in-between reality.

It took maybe less than a minute, but soon all of the cronies were lying face down on the cold concrete; face buried in a mixture of dirt and blood. Appearing in the midst of the ring of broken thugs stood the masked attacker, cracking his knuckles and his entire body radiating a smugness that could be seen even through his mask.

"That all you punks got?" he spoke out, savoring his victory, his voice resonated with a metallic edge.

He then set his sights on Tali, and found himself slightly staggered.

"A quarian? What the hell?" he thought aloud.

Tali was just as stunned as he was. Less than five minutes ago she was on the verge of being assaulted, raped and left for dead in the middle of a cold street; now she was staring onto a view of her attackers broken and unconscious.

Effectively, this man had just saved her life, and she had no idea who he was.

The stunned silence was broken by a sudden burst of gunfire, the masked man immediately leapt out of the way on a reflex that was so quick it just managed to avoid the storm of bullets that raged past him.

Both of the masked beings turned to their sights on that of Jan Valentine, a pair of large and threatening sub-machine guns in his hands, the ends smoking from the sudden release. The mercenary's face was that of twisted and ugly rage.

"Die you piece of shit!" he howled, swinging his arms widely, ushering a volley of bullets that tore through the masked attacker's cape, but didn't even manage to scrape his body.

Eventually he managed to teleport away, just before a second volley of bullets skewered him in midair. He fell back against a wall and slid to the ground, trying to take cover form the insane onslaught.

It was then he realized that the teleportation had brought him right next to Tali.

In an immediate reaction, his thrust his hand forward; the 'x' shaped pattern on his outer palm extended into a customized blade, and brought just to the tip of Tali's throat.

"Who the hell are you?" he demanded, voice still managing to resonate over the roar of the gunfire.

Tali backed up as far as she could, but she knew that in such a tight spot there was no way of escaping him. If he wanted, the masked man could tear her throat open in single second.

"I-I-I'm just-"

The bullets were now ricocheting past their heads, the shooter getting more accurate with each wave of lead he fired. The barrels of death were getting closer every second.

Tali didn't have time for this.

"My name is Tali'Zorah nar Rayya! I came here to make a deal with Luke Valentine and I was double-crossed!" she blurted out, having to suck her head more and more to avoid the hailstorm of bullets. A stray one actually managed to cut through her veil.

"How do I know your not some Valentine hired thug?" the masked man questioned.

"Do I look like a thug to you?" Tali practically screeched in his face, the fix of fear and anger over-powering her sense of charisma.

"Valentine hires all kinds, can you prove it?" the masked man yelled back.

The gunfire was causing the pair to get closer and closer to one another in order to keep their heads from being ripped off their shoulders from the rapidly-growing accuracy of the bullets.

Tali starred at him blankly for a second, as if she was accepting a fact that she had been defying against her entire life, the look pierced through her helmet, and it even pierced his mask.

"I'm a quarian; do you know anyone who hires quarians? Criminal or otherwise?" she asked, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

The masked man stared at her briefly. Tali felt herself grow hot under her helmet, even though his eyes were covered with cloth, they seemed to bypass all her defences, and that just made her feel very uncomfortable. She always had a wall around herself, and with a glance the masked attacker had broken through it.

"Alright then, guess that makes you my back-up now" he said, leaning back pushing himself up against a all.

Tali had to take a few seconds to decode what he had just said.

"Back-up?" she asked in alarm.

"Sounds like we're both after the same man, in which case you could be of some use" the masked man explained, his blades retracting, and instead unsheathed a set of five 'x' shaped shuriken.

"I never agreed to this?" she yelled out.

"Don't you want to get a chance to back at Mr Valentine?" he asked.

"…Yes?" Tali asked, feeling very unsure of his motives.

"Good" he said, before letting loose the five shuriken. They soared through the air and landed at the feet of Jan Valentine, it suddenly exploded upon contacted, causing a thick smog to rise up, in which could be heard the many foul curses of the mercenary.

"I hope you're a decent shot" he said with a smirk.

Before Tali could question him further, he had grabbed her arm and literally threw her out into the smog, where she fell to the floor with 'thud'.

Tali dizzily got to her feet, her left arm hurt from the impact and her vision was slightly blurred. She felt her vision go red in frustration.

"_Ce'resa ky bosh'tet!"_ she cursed in her native language.

That was when the smog finally, and she found herself a standing a few yards away from Jan Valentine and his pair of duel-wielding machine guns. After the last wisp of the smog had cleared he set his foul sights on the quarian, to which his face twisted once again into a vicious smile.

"You still alive? Guess I'll have to change that!" he yelled as he aimed both guns at her, the ultimate target.

"I'll teach you to fuck with the Valentine brothers, you piece of shit quarian whore!" he yelled, almost like a madman, and squeezed both triggers, hard.

That was when a gloved fist nailed itself into Jan's jaw, delivering a fierce uppercut that sent him flying into the air, the bullets he had unleashed spirally everything and narrowly missing Tali.

The second the Valentine brother recovered, he was welcomed to another fist, followed by an elbow to the face, followed by a kick to the ribs, and a series of other brutal strikes, before he was finally held up against a wall by his collar. Blood was dripping from his mouth, several piercings being torn out by the ferocity of the punches.

And he was now face to face with the masked attacker.

"Hey Jan, it's been a while" the masked attacker grinned.

The mercenary's vulgar smile had now been replaced with an expression of panic, colour drained away to reveal only cold white shock, surprise and horror.

"X? You're supposed to be-"

He was stopped in his tracks by another blow to the gut, knocking the wind out of him. He wheezed and leaned forward on reflex but was then firmly thrown back against the wall.

"Dead?" the masked man, Red X, retorted.

Jan's expression deepened into a bitter and hateful glare, his fang-like teeth grinding together.

"How the hell are you still alive?" he demanded.

"No thanks to you and that goddamn brother of yours!" X howled as he delivered punch that crunched Jan's head against the wall, causing new wounds to open alongside his head.

"Hey man! Luke and I had nothing to do with that whole ambush thing! It was all the Earl's doing! Me and my bro thought you were a player! We liked your style! It ain't our fault that that the Earl fucked you over!" Jan explained, trying desperately to break free of the thief's grasp.

"It was just business!" Jan retorted, forcing a cackle from his bloodstained lips.

X stared briefly at him for a moment.

Jan's smile suddenly dissolved into a burst of pain as he let out a piercing scream, he looked down in horror to see the tip of a bladed shuriken buried in his lower abdomen, blood freely seeping from the wound.

"Who the hell do you think I am?" X retorted, digging the weapon in deeper which caused the mercenary to scream even more.

"I wasn't born yesterday Jan, I have sources all over the Citadel, I've spent half a year tracking down the bastard who gave me the order to take me out, and wouldn't you know it – the trail leads me to you and your brother" X snarled.

"What the fuck to you want from me man? An apology? You failed the mission! You fucked up the theft! You think you justify yourself by coming here and busting up my boys, but the point remains; you're still garbage! Still nothing!" Jan spluttered.

"Who said I failed?" X retorted with a small smile. Leaving the shuriken stuck in the mercenary's belly, the thief reached into one of the side pockets of the suit, and pulled out a single data disk, reflecting in the red neon light.

Jan's face became pale for a moment, before slowly fading into a forced smile, only not of insanity, only defeat.

"Okay, I admit it; Luke thought you were a liability, told the Earl that you were double-crossing him. You were supposed to die on Noveria, but you just don't seem to stay dead" Jan growled.

"I thought so, Luke always was the jealous type" X interjected.

"Don't make a hell of a difference now! Big brother Valentine owns the underworld on the Citadel! No way in hell are you gonna be able to get close enough to stab him in the back!" Jan spat out, baring his fangs.

"Oh but wait, I forgot, you don't kill people – do you X?" Jan laughed, laughed like it was the most hysterical thing in the world.

The laugh was cut short when X twisted the shuriken rammed it up through his stomach, leaving a brutal opening on the mercenary's gut. The wound was messy, but wasn't fatal.

Nevertheless, it still put the mercenary through agony, who let out a scream that could have broken glass.

"You both screwed me over; you put me out of commission for a whole year, I thought I was going to die on that godforsaken rock, out in the endless cold!" X let loose and flurry of punches, most on which landed on the Valentine brother's open wound, soaking the thief's gloves in blood.

He tossed the mercenary to the ground, he then casually walked over, stomped on the wound with his heavy boot and lifted him up by the collar, hoping he was going through a world of pain.

"Unless you want me to suffocate you with your own intestines, tell me where your brother is holed up!" X demanded.

Though the blood and saliva, Jan Valentine found a way to laugh. He laughed in front of X's face, a laugh that came him his answer.

No matter how much the thief hurt him, he wasn't going to talk.

"Bastard…stop laughing!" X yelled out throwing another punch at Jan's jaw, not caring if he broke it.

He was greeted within a sudden chill through his spine, when his fist was caught by the thought incapacitated mercenary. Jan gave a devious grin as he quickly reached up and twisted X's arm, hard.

The thief gave a shout of pain as he was tossed over onto the cold floor. As he tried to recover he was caught by the blunt edge of one of Jan's guns. The impact blurred his visions and was defenceless as the mercenary mercilessly pounded at his ribs, hysterically laughing, despite his wound bleeding immensely.

Jan caught the thief by the head and slammed it into a nearby wall, the insane laughing echoing through the streets. His grasp held like a vice, and that accounted with the force of the impact, X could break free.

The mercenary held his recovered weapon tightly, if he wanted to – he could unleash an entire clip into X's chest. If that turned out to be the case, he would be dead before he hit the floor.

"_Not good" _X thought to himself.

"That always was your problem X; you only ever saw what was in front of you, now I get to kill you and keep your little mask as a trophy!" he grinned, ignoring the wound that would have staggered most.

"Fuck. You" X spat, trying to break free, but was too dazed to use all of his strength or even reach for his teleportation belt.

"Ha! You know I bet Luke would have loved this! To see the punk who proclaimed himself as the 'elusive phantom' get his ass handed to him!" Jan cackled.

"Now I'd love to spend all day chit-chatting, but I got to meet up with big bro Valentine! I tell you, the club is going to wild when they see I've brought your head on a platter!"

Jan brought the gun up to X's chin, and brought down his finger on the trigger…

X felt the grip around his skull loosen, and thus was able to break out. He had to rub the blood out from his mask, only to witness a sight he wasn't expecting.

Jan was shaking, his eyes were getting pale, and he was looking to the jet-black sky. There was a gaping would in his stomach, like someone had detonated a bomb inside, guts and blood were scattered around the street.

The mercenary tried to speak, but all that came out were more trickles of blood. He fell flat on his face, revealing the figure of Tali standing behind him, a large weapon held tightly in both her clawed hands.

"You had a shotgun?" X blurted out, rubbing down the blood from his suit.

"You're welcome!" Tali snapped back, her body still shaking from the action.

She looked on the bleeding mess beneath her and felt her stomach twist. She was used to dispatching Cybermen, gunning down synthetics, not living people.

Her first living kill, it didn't give her the feeling she was expecting.

X stood up and brushed himself off, not sparing a glance to Jan's body. The whole situation seemed kind of ironic, and as much as he hated it to admit it, being killed by a quarian was a hell of a lot more undignified than getting pummeled by him.

Which reminded him…

"Saved by a quarian, great" he thought aloud, earning him an icy stare from Tali.

"Who does this guy think he is, he just swopped in and nearly got himself killed! He would be dead if I wasn't…" he train of thought trailed off when she came to a realization.

"You saved me from those thugs" she said, not quite believing her own words.

"I was disposing of those armed goons, there's a difference" he answered, recovering some of his shuriken.

"You could have used the opportunity to take Jan down while those men…had their way with me, but you nearly got yourself killed trying to save me".

X stopped and turned around to face her fully. Her black robes were torn all over and she was shaking like a leaf, but her tongue was still pretty sharp.

"Okay, fine. I got you out of a tight spot; do you want me to write it down for you?" X snorted.

"It was just really brave of you. Incredibly stupid and naive, but still quite brave" Tali acknowledged, which left X slightly speechless.

"_I getting insulted by a quarian…my god I've lost my edge" _X thought to himself. He checked his belt, and breathed a silent sigh of relief to see that he still had a satisfactory amount of xynothium stored away.

"You have business with Luke Valentine?" the quarian asked.

"You could stay that" he said, staring down at Jan's corpse. He thought it was a fitting end, finally getting stabbed in the back…or blown to pieces, either way it was no less than what he deserved.

"Did he screw you over as well?" Tali asked, hands on her hips. X looked up at her with some kind of fascination, after all, this was the first time he had spoken to a quarian that wasn't a contact.

"What did you say your name was?" X asked.

"Tali'Zorah nar Rayya"

"That's a mouthful"

"Friends call me Tali" she responded, kicking a stirring mercenary

"Do I look like you're friend" X asked, harshly.

"You're no my enemy" she responded sharply.

"…I pulled a heist for Valentine, he didn't hold up his part of the bargain, sent a squad of assassins to take me out of the picture" he finally answered.

"You're a thief?" Tali asked, curiosity lingering in her voice.

"Born and bred" X smiled, pride swelling in his chest.

"You handle yourself like an assassin, I thought you were DWMA Black Ops" Tali questioned.

"Too bloody for me" he said, reaching into the pockets of the unconscious mercenaries and pulling out credits.

"I just look out for number one" he said.

"Am I an exception?" Tali asked.

Red X found himself mentally cursing. He didn't bother with an answer and instead made his way over to her, even then her hand was still gripped on her pistol.

"Alright, enough with the twenty questions, what did Jan want from you?" X asked.

Tali hesitated for a moment, but then reached into a lower pocket and pulled out the holographic sphere, she then pressed the centre key, and voices began to arise from it.

"_Eden Prime was just the beginning; the Cybermen will fall like a tide of death upon new settlements, each death paving the way for the return of the Daleks. The Council are mindless fools, their perspectives are too narrow, too fragile – the galaxy needs a new start, one that only the machine overlords can give us…"_

X remained silent even after the recording ended.

Tali safely put the sphere back into her pocket; she then stared up at the silent thief, who even through his mask looked deeply troubled. When he did speak again, his distorted voice was layered with a hidden fear.

"Aizen…"


	14. Freedom's Progress: Part IV

Cerberus Rising 

Stage One: Hounds Of The Illusive 

Chapter Six: Freedom's Progress Part IV – The Gift

X didn't normally like to involve himself in the politics of the Council; in fact he had made a very clear point to undermine their every rule and live a life free of the law, doing what he did best. He really didn't care for the debates and concerns of the hierarchy of intergalactic government.

This, however, could not be ignored…

Even a thief like him knew the voice of Sosuke Aizen, the Shinigami who was regarded as the best agent the Council had to offer. He had brought down corrupt organizations, stopped planetary conflicts, and even brought a marching army of Hollows to a halt.

He was the pride of the Council, and now he had evidence that the guy was a mass murdering psychopath.

"Where did you get this?" X demanded.

"Inside a Cyberman. I was attacked on the way to the Citadel, and found a solid fragment of its previous memory drive. I managed to repair it as best I could, but that was all the data I could recover" she explained.

"And you were going to give this to Valentine?" X asked the thought almost humorous.

Tali immediately snatched it back.

"He said he could get me a ship that could take me back to the Flotilla!" she snapped back, losing her cool for a moment.

X raised an eyebrow.

"S-Sorry, I'm still a little shaken that's all" the Quarian engineer apologized, rubbing the edge of her helmet with her claw.

"I'm…on a Pilgrimage" she explained.

"A what?"

"A Pilgrimage, it's a sacred rite that all Quarians go through, it's a sign of adulthood" she explained, her voice suddenly enthusiastic.

X looked around at the mess that had bee caused, stale blood was seeping from the wounds of the unconscious mercs, the stench of smoke from the shells of bullets that had been fired. All of it in the name of adulthood, apparently.

"You couldn't just have had a night-out?" X asked sarcastically, kicking the face of a reawakening merc who promptly fell out of consciousness again.

"It's the most important and upheld traditions in Quarian culture, one has to go and find an item of value, something that could benefit the entire Migrant Fleet. Afterward they can choose which ship they want to serve on, and become a true individual" she explained with great care, as if she was proud of the entire process.

X hadn't really bothered to study the history and culture of other life-forms. Unless it was a client or target, in which case he studied them intently, he really had no interest. Aside from a few traditions, religions and holidays – all alien life seemed to be the same as humans.

Quarians on the other hand…

Tali rubbed the back of her neck, almost as if she was embarrassed.

"As you can see, my Pilgrimage isn't going that well" she sighed.

X remembered the fear in her voice when those mercs surrounded her, he had watched intently, waiting for the right moment to strike at Jan. He had walked away from hundreds of incidents involving innocents. But this was the first time he felt generally…pleased. Pleased that he down something other than a theft.

He rubbed both his temples in frustration.

"_Jan must have hit me harder than I thought" _he thought to himself.

He then walked over to her, and gently took her hand. Tali was confused for a moment, before the thief typed in a few cords of the spherical device, and the voice resonated once again.

"Who is that?" Tali asked.

"Aizen, the favorite Shadowstep of the Council, who up until recently was revered as the best of the best. Looks like the Council's favorite toy was playing for the other side" he answered, never taking his eyes of the sphere.

"A Shadowstep? _Kee-lah_" Tali stammered.

"Why trade this in?" X asked again.

Silence.

"…Because I wanted to go back home" she whispered.

X looked at her for a few seconds, her face obscured by her visor. He then let go of her hand, and began to configure his belt, making sure he had enough xynothium left.

"You're not going to make me give this to the Council?" she asked.

"Why? I'm no marine, and it's not my business, I'm just here to settle a score with Valentine" the thief responded.

"…I'll help you" Tali suddenly spoke out.

"What?" X asked, whipping around in shock.

"You saved my life; no one has ever stood up for me before because I was a Quarian, the least I owe you is to give some kind of back-up" Tali pleaded.

"Sorry, I work alone, why would I want you tagging along?" X snapped back, trying to be as harsh as possible.

"Because, you're not the only one who wants payback on Valentine" she responded calmly, hand on hip.

X had met plenty of women in his short life, but none of them had this kind of fire in them, this was the last thing he would have expected from a Quarian.

"_Guess that one year break I had really did soften me up"_

"Okay, we'll play it your way, you've got the guns after all" X spoke out, giving in to her offer.

"We're not as frail as you people like to think" Tali responded, her wit as sharp as ever.

"I guess not" X replied, finding himself smiling for some reasons.

The sound of groaning caught their attention, and both masked figures turned to see one of the mercs, bleeding heavily form one of his legs, and one the move.

"Looks like we missed one" Tali said, taking out her pistol, but was stopped when a gloved hand intercepted her.

"Don't get too trigger happy, we'll let the hired help lead the way to Valentine" X interjected.

"You can't think that he would be stupid enough to…" Tali trailed off, looking on as the merc disappeared through the alleyways, heading deeper into the Citadel's underbelly.

"In my experience, never doubt the stupidity of hired goons"

* * *

Luke Valentine loved his life. He loved the money, he loved the fear he injected into the minds of his victims. He loved how sinful pleasures just fell onto his lap. He loved how he was in the good books of all the major players, and if his luck persisted, then he would succeed the Earl in no time at all.

Finishing another glass of wine, he laid his head back on the sofa, and allowed the two women to speak of how brilliant he was. To him, a boost to the ego was better than getting laid.

The beat of the club next door raged. From his exclusive V.I.P establishment he could relax about having his mercs and other lower-standing employees getting their fair-share of drink and women, while his more personal entourage expanded his grip over the Citadel via blackmail, assassination and bribe.

Life was good.

"Mr Valentine, one of Jan's men is here to see you" one of his bodyguards interrupted. Luke sighed and pushed the girls to one side for a moment,

"Probably little brother Valentine's messenger, he never bothers to show himself unless there's murder or booze, what a pain in the ass" he sighed, inhaling the thick smoke.

"Send him in, the sooner I get that data the closer I get to the Earl's throne"

* * *

X was thankful that the architect of the club had decided to add overly large ventilation shafts. I meant that he could crouch instead of crawl, and would give the ambush a much bigger impact.

Tali was behind him, reloading all of her weapons twice over, silent as the grave ever since they had infiltrated the club.

"The Quarians…they created the Cybermen, right?" X asked, glad that the pounding of the night club's music drowned out any sound they would make.

Tali immediately stopped what she was doing.

"Yes…we made them centuries ago because we wanted to create a workforce that never tired or felt any kind of pain. We needed free labor, and we were too concerned with other matters to notice the signs" she sighed, looking at the dusty, metallic floor.

"Signs?" X asked.

"That the more we created, the more they grew a consciousness, a collective consciousness. They became smarter in large numbers, until eventually…they rebelled"

She was quiet for a moment, as if reminiscing memories that were not hers.

"Quarians used to be respected once; we even had a place on the Council. But because of the mistakes of my ancestors, we lost our home, our independence and…even ourselves"

"You mean your pride?" X asked, trying to work his way through her cryptic language, keeping a half eye at the commotion below.

"We didn't always where these suits, we didn't always have an immune system so frail that a common virus for you could end up as a life-threatening disease for me" she said bitterly, he hands tightly gripped around her gun.

"We weren't always outcasts"

"…So, the Cybermen forced you to become Nomads" X answered, watching as Luke Valentine stabbed the henchmen in front of him with his signature knife, cutting his head off in one clean swipe.

"If it's any consolation, you're not the only one" X said, readying five shuriken in his right hands.

Tali looked up at him.

"Once you've made your mark on society, people's minds become fixed one opinion of you. If they see a mask, they will associate it with whatever society has conditioned it to, they will never attempt to see beyond that" he sad as he inched towards the opening in the air duct, the panel would come away with one swift kick.

"That's…how everyone views Quarians" Tali replied, swallowing a lump n her throat.

"That's how society views me"

For the first time in ages, Tali was stunned. It wasn't a technical error; it was a calculation that was well beyond her years of understanding. For the past few years she had experienced the bluntness of humanity, of how they practically worshiped those with superior technology, and how they brushed away those who were stained with the sins of their forefathers.

But now, this man in a mask, a man whose name she didn't even know, shared her view, and knew the kind of emotional trauma that had engulfed her people for decades.

"And…how do you face it? How do you overcome that prejudice every day for your life?" she asked, struggling to hold back the emotion in her voice.

He turned and looked at her, but not like anyone had looked at her before. For the first time, someone looked at her through the helmet.

"I remind myself, that the views of the Council, the Citadel, the whole human race…" he leaned closer, so close that their faces were almost touching.

"They don't mean a damn thing to me"

Tali's heartbeat went into overdrive.

* * *

Luke Valentine kicked the beheaded body of the mercenary aside; he had lost control of his anger when the fat bastard hadn't even recalled what the killer looked like. All he could say was that there was the Quarian, and a guy dressed in black.

He cursed and smashed his glass on the floor, staring daggers into the eyes of his entourage.

"I don't care how much money it costs, I don't care if you have to look beyond the fucking Terminus system! Find the bastard who killed Jan and bring me his FUCKING HEAD!" Luke howled.

A panel of the nearby air vent fell to the floor with a thundering clatter, and all eyes turned to it. In less than a second, a living shadow slipped through the vent and rolled on to he floor, skull mask giving him the impression of a reaper.

"Hate to gatecrash, but this party's canceled!" X flung his shuriken in a 360 degree circle. The blades lodged themselves in nearby walls and even into the ligaments of some unfortunate henchmen.

Pressing his thumb onto the palm of his hand, they metallic stars exploding, creating a vacuum of fire and smoke in the V.I.P room.

Scream's echoed, and gun began to fire. Sticking to the heavily dusty areas, X leapt from one wall to the next. He easily avoided the chaotic gunfire, jumping between high areas to avoid the bullets, and falling to the floor to take them out.

Like a wolf stalking it's pray…

"Where is he?" Luke's voice could be heard. He had taken out his own gun and was firing madly, or wherever he could see a shadow in the endless smoke.

He ended up killing two of his own goons by mistake.

Eventually the smoke began to fade, and the cover was swept away. Luke grinned and scanned the room for his target, ready to fill his body with enough thermo ammo to turn him into the next wicker man.

But there was no one in sight.

"What the hell? Where are you?" he barked, the stench of fresh blood filling his nostrils. The henchmen in front of him were either unconscious of bleeding heavily on the floor for bullets or wounds inflicted by the shuriken.

Two hands reached up from behind him and grabbed his neck.

Luke was thrown into the nearest wall, where his face was promptly pummeled by a pair of gloved fists until he felt his nose break and the blood come rushing out. He was robbed of his weapons instantly, the handle of the gun being used to knock his face into the floor.

The assault briefly ceased, and the elder Valentine brother finally had the opportunity to look up at his attacker. He did not like what he saw.

"Remember me?" X hissed, arm outstretched, and the 'x' pattern on the palm beginning to glow.

"…How could I forget?" Luke replied, suddenly very calm, wiping away the majority of the blood with his white glove.

"You were our best agent, did some grand thefts. I have men out there who aren't even a quarter of what you were" Luke continued, slowly getting off of the floor.

"That your last resort? Kiss my ass in the hope that I let you live?" X asked, his voice a mixture of burning hate and light humor.

"You don't kill X, your too afraid of death to even dare attempt it" Luke retorted, taking out one of his cigarettes.

"Yeah, Jan thought that too"

He hesitated for a moment, but Luke simply chuckled as he lit his cigarette and enjoyed its intoxicating taste. If there was one thing in the universe that X hated, it was that smirk.

"I always told him that if he ran his mouth off too much it would be the death of him, my little brother was bound to end up dead in some alley, just never thought it would be by your hands" he said, almost as if he was impressed.

"Enough of the crap, you've got five seconds to give me a reason not to blow a hotel in your gut" X threatened.

"Just one? Well, it anything I would have to say…" Luke flicked the cigarette out of his hand and smiled viciously, a sign that X caught onto a second too late.

He felt the end of the barrel against his head, from the way it felt he assumed it was a shotgun, probably that Arrancar bodyguard he thought he had taken out. He made a mental not to throw two lots of shuriken into them next time.

"Jan may have been a fool, but I am most certainty not" Luke hissed, his voice certainly turning very cold, and very feral.

"Whatever tricked you pulled, it won't save you from this. Now I'm only going to give you two seconds to give me a valid reason why I should give the signal to have your brain splattered around the wall" Luke threatened.

"…Only two?" X grinned.

There was the sound of a gunshot, defiantly a shotgun. But instead of the thief's head exploding into pieces, it was that of the Hollowfied bodyguard, who fell to the floor in a bloody mess.

Luke's face went pale, well…paler, and he spun around in shock. To see none other than Tali, her shotgun raised and pointing straight at him, finger on the trigger.

The elder Valentine's cool demeanor dropped like an anvil.

"Luke, I think you've already Miss nar Rayya, she's my personal ace up the sleeve tonight" X introduced, loving every second of Luke's expression.

"Pleasure's all yours" she replied.

Before Luke could even think the words, _oh shit_, he found himself being flung onto the bar table. His face pressed against the broken glass, beer and blood of his subordinates.

"For the record, Jan fell for that as well" X grinned

"Damn you…" the butch man struggled to get free form the shadow's gloved grip, but ultimately failed.

"I won't forgive your for this!" he spat out, his face soaked in blood from his broken nose and various other blows and cuts inflicted onto his face.

"Oh, I'm sure that'll stop me from sleeping at night" X replied, pressing his face in further, causing the man to cry out in pain.

"W-What do you want?" Luke wailed.

"I was out of commission for a year because of you, now I bet in that time you built up quite the nice little criminal empire. I want the funds" X answered.

"What?" he yelled out, causing his face to be lifted and smashed into an unbroken bottle, his cries got even higher, blood pouring from the cuts along his face.

"I'm going to cripple the business that you and your boss built up; you're going to give me all the money that you made…and I'm going to use to bring down the Earl"

"I…I can't" Luke wept.

"You will, because you don't want to die here" X replied, enjoying how he was reducing the man to a whimpering state.

"You don't kill! You don't kill people! Over 100 heists and not one death! What makes you think that you can kill me now?" Luke spat out, gambling on the humanity left in the thief.

"He doesn't…" a new voice, this time belonging to Tali, entered the scene, face shrouded by a purple mask.

"But I don't mean filling in for him" she said, raising a heavy pistol to the man's forehead, who went white with fear.

"…S-Shit!" he cursed.

"You heard the lady, now had over the data like a good boy before you end with a hole in your head!" the masked man warned.

Reluctantly the man reached into his pocket and pulled out a small pad, holographic data streaming across in a bright yellow color. After which he was tossed to the floor like a ragdoll, badly beaten and bruised, into the nearest wall

"You bastard X…you're no different from that psychotic group, Cerberus!" he yelled, wiping the blood form his mouth.

"Aw, now you've gone and hurt my feelings" the man with the crimsons 'x' pained across his left eye replied sarcastically.

One hard punch to the face later and Luke Valentine crumpled to the floor, out like a light.

* * *

There was a brief silence between the pair, X soaking up the results of what he had done, and what he was going to do next. After all, if he was to make good on his threat, he had a lot of work cut out for him.

"What will you do now?" Tali asked, breaking the silence, the beat of the club next door echoing in the broken and bloodied room.

"Tie up loose ends…then get back to what I do best" he replied, walking over to the Valentine brother, and began to tie his hands up with nearby wire.

"Should we kill him? What if he escapes?" Tali asked.

"C-Sec will handle him, they've been dying to put him in front of a court, and if he even mentions my name then he's confirmed that he's working with the lowest of the low, automatic life imprisonment" X answered, tossing the unconscious man to the floor.

"What about you? You continuing with your Pilgrimage?" X asked, feeling slightly embarrassed that he remembered what it was called.

"No…I…I've spent years looking for something of worth and…I feel like I need to go home more than ever, even if I fail the Pilgrimage" she replied, sadness infecting her voice.

"Why?" X asked.

"…Because I need to see the people I love, after so much prejudice and disappointment, I've lost faith that I'll ever find anything of worth. I know when I've failed, and I don't see a point staying away form the Migrant Fleet any longer" she replied.

"Even if it's in disgrace?" X asked.

"…Yes"

X turned around, looking at the massive hole in the middle of the complex due to the damage caused by the gunshots. He slowly turned around and headed towards it, ready to put the whole thing behind him and start fresh once again.

Then he stopped, his mind agitating him to no end. He slowly reached into his suit and pulled out the data he had stolen from Noveria.

"Would details on the Cybermen be good enough?" X asked.

"Well, yes, we haven't had a chance to study them in years, we have no idea if they've upgraded or not" she explained.

"Here, take it" he said, tossing the small object over his shoulder, not even looking back as she caught it, staring at it through her purple veil, hands shaking.

"W-What?" he voice was shaking not with fear, but with sheer shock, as if he had just handed her a diamond or something of equal value.

"You need it more than I do, besides, this makes us even" the masked man stated, already starting to walk away, out of the ruins of the club.

Tali was in shock, utter shock, as if she didn't believe that this was actually happening. In her hands she had an item that would finally finish her long journey, a journey she had wanted to end for as long as her recent memory allowed.

"T-Thank you…I won't forget this!" she stated, her voice filtered just as his was, both by masks.

"Give the data on Aizen to the Council, maybe it will change their minds about Quarians a little bit" X explained.

Tali was speechless, like she had suddenly been blessed, she felt as if she would start to cry tears of joy at any moment. She then straightened up, as if suddenly remembering something important.

"Wait! You know my name, but I didn't get yours" she asked, cradling the chip with such care as if it were a newborn child.

The man in the skull mask turned to face her, somehow everything about her made him feel like he crossing that infamous line, the line that had once blurred when he played the hero, one too many times for his liking.

"You're better off not knowing" he stated.

"Please tell me!" she asked.

"Why?"

"It's just…surely the Council will want to know who found out about Aizen!" she insisted, however her tone became much quieter when she received a fierce glare from the masked man.

"No! When they ask, you don't mention me in any way, I wasn't here, and we never met" he barked, causing the girl to flinch.

"But…okay, I won't say anything about you to the Council…but tell me you name for my sake" she insisted yet again.

"Why? What do you get out of it?" he asked.

"…So that when I return from my Pilgrimage, I want to know who it was that helped me get so far, I…I want to know who to thank for everything" she stated, almost whispering.

Inhaling a deep breath, the man stepped out into the corridor, which was still stained with old blood form the previous scuffle, bullet holes and marks from exploded grenades lay everywhere. He could even hear the woman sigh; he could see her shoulder slump from the corner of his eye.

"Red X" he spoke out, before pressing the central button on his belt, and disappeared from sight.

* * *

Tali was left alone in the neon lit room, staring at the spot where the masked angel had vanished from her very eyes. She looked at the chip in her hands, and sent a silent prayer to the man in the skull mask.

"Red X…_kee'lah se'lai_"


	15. Freedom's Progress: Part V

Cerberus Rising 

Stage One: Hounds Of The Illusive 

Chapter Seven: Freedom's Progress Part V – The Suit

The memory was fresh, and while in reality it had been six years ago, to X it still felt like little over a few months since his last encounter with the Quarian. She was the last thing that he was expecting to see in such a desolate place, though some part of him was glad.

He couldn't deny that he hadn't thought about whether she had actually gone on to complete her Pilgrimage, but from the way she commanded the others, and by her new look, he assumed everything had gone off without a hitch. It also made her a lot more easy on the eyes, the purple veil suited her much better than the darker robes she used to wear.

He ignored the fact that her environmental suit was much more…tight…around the rest of her body.

He shook away the thought and returned to the matter at hand, which involved stopping and fire-fight that seemed uncomfortably imminent between both squads. He felt Sera's presence, and was concerned about how relaxed she was about pulling the trigger at any given time.

From the look in her pale eyes, X knew that Tali was thinking the exact same thing.

"If he really is who he said he is, then why is he working for Cerberus?" Prazza asked, finally putting his assault rifle behind him, easing off a bit of tension.

"I don't know, maybe it would be a good idea to ask" Tali answered, redirecting the question to X, genuinely concerned herself.

"I died Tali" X said, short and to the point, hoping to clear the air a bit.

"Cerberus spent five years rebuilding me; I've been bribed into investigating the disappearance of human colonies" X answered, still in some form of shock that he was actually in this position.

"Likely story! No organization would spend that many resources to bring back one man, one who isn't even a soldier" Prazza snorted, folding his arms in disgust.

"You haven't seen Red X in action, Prazza. Trust me, it was money well spent" Tali commented, making X smile a bit.

"Our view exactly" Kid added.

"Perhaps we can work together" Tali suggested, turning her head onto the trio, now that there was some form of stability between them.

"We're here looking for a young Quarian named Veetor, he was here on Pilgrimage" she explained.

"You really need to rethink this whole Pilgrimage idea, every time I find one of you in the midst of it there's always trouble" X commented

"Maybe you just bring bad luck" Prazza snapped.

"Maybe I'm the guy who halls your asses out of the fire" X retorted, causing the male Quarian to growl, he then turned his attention back to Tali.

"Isn't that a little strange, why would a Quarian choose this place for a Pilgrimage?" X asked, returning to his serious composure.

"Quarians can choose wherever they go on a Pilgrimage. Veetor liked the idea of helping a small human settlement, he was always…nervous in crowds" she explained, hesitating when it came to the Quarian's personal traits.

"She means he was unstable, add to the fact his CO2 scrubbers were damaged, plus an infection from the open air; and he's likely delirious" Prazza further illustrated.

"When he saw us landing he ran into a warehouse on the far side of the colony. We suspect he programmed the mechs to attack anything that moved" Tali added.

"That explains the heavy resistance" Kid commented, remembering their previous struggle.

"Sounds like Veetor is the only one who can tell us anything about the missing colony, I guess that means we've got a common goal" X decided, causing both positive and negative commotion.

"Good idea, you'll need two teams to get past the drone anyway" Tali agreed.

"Wait; now we're working with Cerberus?" Prazza exclaimed, not happy with the suggestion one bit.

"No Prazza, you're working for me. If you have a problem with that then you can wait back on the ship" Tali barked, putting the Quarian back in his place.

_"She's still got that fire" _X smiled at the thought.

"Head for the warehouse at the centre of the colony, we'll circle around the far side and draw the majority of the mechs away from you" Tali explained.

"Sounds like a plan" X agreed, he then looked between his own group and the collection of Quarians in front of him.

"I'm getting the impression you really hate Cerberus, was there a war I missed?" X asked.

"They killed our people, infiltrated our flotilla, and tried to blow up one of our ships" Prazza replied, a deep sense of loathing in his voice.

X turned his head to Seras with a surging sense of anger in his eyes, even for an organisation as dark as Cerberus, that was basic overkill.

"That's not how I would have put it exactly. It was nothing personal" Seras shrugged, rather too comfortable with the fact.

"Really? Because it sounds pretty damn personal to me" X seethed, that fact he was leading this troop made him feel sick to his stomach. He didn't want to think at what else they had done.

"Hey, we can argue over who killed who later, we have a job to do" Kid interjected, stopping the pair from tearing each other apart.

"Agreed, we work together to find Veetor" Tali nodded.

Putting his frustration aside, X focused on the matter at hand. This was their only lead, and he sure as hell wasn't gong to waste it.

"Okay, we'll keep in radio contact and fight our way through the colony" X announced.

The Quarians immediately geared up and headed out the door, ready to draw fire from the mechs, a task that they no doubt really weren't looking forward to.

"Will do, good luck" she said, as turned around and headed for the door, halfway there she stopped and turned her attention back to the thief.

"X, whatever happens…it's good to have you back"

"Likewise" X replied.

* * *

"The Quarians were unexpected, but they could make good allies" Kid commented as X's unit headed out of the building and made their way across the complex, several housing areas with joining stairways lay ahead of them.

"That doesn't rule them out completely as potential suspects" Seras commented, trailing behind the pair.

"You really need to get some counseling" X commented, making his way past a couple of housing estates, hacking his way through doors as if it was second nature to him.

"You can't have such a narrow view of things, if you let your judgment be influenced because of past experiences then it could cause huge risks" Seras retorted, on his heels nearly all the time.

"Funny, I could say the exact same thing about you and Cerberus" X said, glancing back at the blonde.

The operative remained silent from then on.

Eventually the broke free into a wider open area, several housing estates surrounding them, like a miniature cul-de-sac of sorts. They were currently on a lower-balcony, with five steps leading out into the open ground.

"The docking bay is close, scanners showing that there's one more cargo area beyond this point, about a ten minute trek" Kid explained, looking at the readings on his omni-tool.

The communicator built into X's mask automatically switched itself on, and from it came a familiar voice.

_"X! Security mechs are heading your way! Sentry Rocket-Models! Be careful"_ Tali's voice echoes through his mask, her sweet voice filling his thoughts.

"The hell is a rocket sentry?" X thought aloud.

His answer came in the form of a nearby explosion. He shifted his gaze skywards to see several shadows dart through the night. They looked like golden plated tripods with several robotic eyes slowly rotating around the square designed "heads". From the "legs" appeared several pen-sized projectiles, which no doubt held more punch than they led on.

There were five of them, and they were circling above them like vultures reading to strip their bones bare.

"Ah…" X managed to speak out before hell rained down upon them.

* * *

He could barely hear Seras' cry of "attack positions" over the thunder that erupted from the rockets. X dived into the open courtyard, which proved to be a mistake as they were boxed in by apartment buildings.

An obvious target, the first two sentries glided down until they were a few feet off the ground, before launching a fresh barrage of explosives. X dived to the right, but ended up falling right into the aftershock of a second swarm of rockets.

He narrowly avoided the flames and shards of metal, but the aftermath of the explosion sent him flying back into an apartment wall. He bit back a remark of pain, and turned his head up to see the sentries dancing around the sky.

They were like hornets, making like zigzag patterns in the air. They were impossible to predict, which meant he was just going to have ground them before he experienced another shower of fire.

Wordlessly, several dying will projectiles formed in his hands, each had a different taint of colour along their edges, some being brighter than others. He waited a brief second for the sentry to line its up it's shot, and when he heard the flames of the rockets starting to sizzle, that's when he made his move.

Time slowed briefly, just enough for the rockets to bypass him and blow away what little there was of the apartment building. Rolling forward, he let loose a volley of projectiles; a feeling of nostalgia rushing through as he remembered how he would have launched the same shuriken at the Titans so long ago.

The first volley struck the sentry, and ignited it will a brilliant explosion, melting away even the toughest of its plating, leaving in nothing more a charred skeleton of circuits. Not wanted to waste a second, X turned his attention to the second sentry, which had already began its next assault.

Releasing there was no time for a full volley, X realised his only option left was to hinder it before gathering enough explosives to bring it down. Drawing a slightly larger shuriken than before, he tossed it at the sentry, hoping it would knock it off balance.

To his surprise, it sliced all the way through the machine, cutting it cleanly in half. X had to a blink a few times before he realized that it had already crashed to the ground after a single shot. He looked down at his hands in amazement.

"God I love this suit" he thought aloud with a smile.

A whizzing sound caught his attention, and that was then he realized that the third sentry had started targeting him as well. The rockets were a breath away, and with no other option X slammed the central consol on his belt. When the sentry set it's sensors on the burnt ground below, no corpse was there.

"Surprise" X announced.

Appearing in a flash above the sentry, X thrust both hands forward, resulting in several energy projectiles being shot forward. He had hoped to overwhelm in a stray barrage, however, to his luck, the shots began to zoom in when they got close to the sentry. It ended with every shot making contact and destroying the machine until not even a scrap of metal remained.

X landed with s graceful thud, practically feeling no recoil from the ground. That only left two, and he was pretty sure that Kid and Seras had taken care of-

Kid's battle cries changed that theory immediately. The thief turned to see seven more sentries had joined the fray, and were currently swarming all over the duo. Kid had a nasty looking flesh wound along his right arm while Seras had a few cuts over her face. They seemed to be okay for the moment, and were filling the sky with fire and explosions in retaliation.

X knew that they would eventually get overwhelmed, and darted towards them at great haste. He pulled out another projectile – hoping it had similar properties to that last one he pulled out.

"Get down!" he howled as lunged his projectile at the aerial enemies.

It wasn't like last time exactly; the projectile darted through the air towards them, and from the look of things it was only going to be able to take out a single one. Then, at the last minute, the single projectile instantaneously shattered and reconstructed itself into at least ten other, smaller, but no doubt deadlier forms. On contact – four of the seven went down.

No wasting a breath, X tossed another one, hoping he wasn't out of tricks yet. The thief's luck seemed to be going strong as the projectile unleashed two thin but powerful beams of red energy that extended form several metres. The result was that the sentries, as well as a few apartments, were carved to ribbons.

Seras and Kid were momentarily stunned, and peered up at their current boss, who was obviously smiling behind his mask. He crossed his arms and raised his head up high.

* * *

**Adrenaline Rush (Burst):** _As_ _before, allows a brief moment where time seems to slow and the user's senses are heightened. Through the systems of the suit, the bursts last longer and the user's reaction time within said baste is much sharper. _

**Adrenaline Rush (Teleport):** _A teleportation system has been incorporated into the adrenaline configuration of the suit. The distance is much shorter, but the recharge time and the precision is extremely accurate. _

**Dying Will Projectile (Fragmentation):** _Using the Storm Attribute of the suit, the projectiles range of destruction is increased, and is very effective against heavily armored opponents. _

**Dying Will Projectile (Solidification):** _Using the Thunder Attribute of the suit, the projectiles become very durable and can slice through most defenses. _

**Dying Will Projectile (Activity):** _Using the Sun Attribute of the suit, the projectiles immediately hone in on the target and detonate accordingly; specific areas of enemies can also be targeted. _

**Dying Will Projectile (Propagation):** _Using the Cloud Attribute of the suit, the projectiles can split apart and reconstruct into multiple targets, the area of damage widening with each new addition._

**Dying Will Projection (Disintegration):** _Using the Rain Attribute of the suit, the projectiles unleash multiple energy beams which when rotated slice through all matter. _

* * *

"Admit it, you're impressed" X grinned at Seras.

"Oh please, you were randomly activating the suit's weapons systems and just got lucky" she replied, though there was a smile on her face this time, it lightened up her face a whole lot more.

"You British are never pleased! You just can't admit that I'm the genuine perfect weapon that your boss was ranting on about" X smirked.

Seras was quiet for a moment, before bringing up Vladimir and unleashing two titanic shells. X thought she had finally snapped, but was proven mistaken when two explosions echoed behind him. He whirled around to see the remains of two rocket sentries that had managed to get pretty close behind him.

X then turned back to Seras, who was grinning widely, licking her fangs. X felt himself go red in embarrassment.

"Oh yes, I bow before the staggering embodiment that is the perfect weapon, I fear I may faint from your sheer presence" she remarked.

"You know, you'd be quite the catch if you weren't so bitchy" X retorted back, his face flushed form his close encounter.

"I'm already a catch, just so happens I have very high standards" she quipped. She then slung her humongous weapon over her shoulder and proceeded to head out of the facility, while X was left slack jawed.

Kid had a slightly amused look on his face.

"Don't say anything" X spat out. Kid raised his hands in mock defence.

"_X! X! Do you copy!"_ a new a voice filled X's eardrums, and he put his two fingers to the side of his mask to register the call.

"Ah, a woman who appreciates my talents" X remarked, while Kid just chuckled.

"Go ahead Tali, we just got held up by those sentries" X answered. He outgoing attitude was weighed down up the urgency and fear in her voice.

"Prazza and his squad rushed on ahead! I told them to stay put but they didn't listen! They want to get to Veetor before you can!" she explained.

"Crap, guess we'd better pick up the pace" X replied.

"It should be just over this complex, there's a docking bay beyond this point which should directly lead to the quarian's location" Seras added.

"Let's move"

* * *

It hadn't taken them long to reach the large gate that separated the apartment district from the cargo bay. It had taken X longer than expected to hack it, but after a few attempts it eventually opened.

The bay was littered with metallic crates that stacked u high. It was a wide area, but was once again surrounded by what appeared to be offices and other work stations. It was definitely going to take some hunting to find Veetor amongst all of it.

"Tali, we're in the loading dock, but I don't a sign of Prazza or his squad" X replied through his radio.

Gunfire and screams suddenly bombarded their hearing. Amidst the confusion, Tali's voice wailed through the radio.

"X! Veetor reprogrammed the heavy mech! It's tearing Prazza's squad apart!" she cried.

The screams were getting closer, then from the west bay door one of the largest machines X had ever seen appeared. It was the size of one of the apartment complexes, bleach white armour with black visors with crimson numbers constantly flashing through it. It's arm ligaments held two claw devises, presumably weaponry, while its small-scale legs stomped through the bay, slowly pursuing the fleeing figures beneath.

X, Kid and Seras launched themselves behind the high stacked crates, peering around the corners, watching as the squad of qurians was torn apart with gunfire.

Before X could mentally debate with himself if he should launch himself into the fray, the sound of bullets tearing through Prazza's body broke his train of thought. All that was left of the squad was a female quarian in a scarlet environmental suit. She dropped her gun and began to run for her life. Several bullets tore through her legs, causing her to fall to the cold floor. She tried to crawl away, but was stopped dead when the heavy foot of the mech came crashing down on her back, snapping her spine, while still giving her time to scream before she finally succumbed to death.

That final death did not sit well with X, and anger flooded through his body. Even if it was just a machine, he now had a vendetta against it.

"They never stood a chance…" Kid whispered, sorrow in his eyes.

After disposing of the squad, the mech set its sights on then, immediately alerted to their presence, and began to advance towards them.

"This is going to be one tough son of a bitch to take out" Seras remarked.

For once, X agreed with her.


	16. Freedom's Progress: Part VI

Cerberus Rising 

Stage One: Hounds Of The Illusive 

Chapter Eight: Freedom's Progress Part VI – The Swarm

If someone were to look upon Freedom's Progress from an aerial view, what would appear before them would be a desolate graveyard filled with empty houses, silence and looming darkness.

It was if the shadow of death had touched upon the human colony. All was quiet; all was still, like the heart of the colony had stopped beating.

Then, like the lighting of a match, a small flame appeared in the section that was designated as the docking bay. The small flames, like candlelight, danced around in a random and peculiar fashion.

The flames were accompanied by a noise as well; a sort of howling that resonated with the sounds of metal. It was the sound of gunfire.

Gunfire so loud it echoed throughout the desolate colony like a wind chime.

* * *

X rolled behind a barricade of five sleek, white crates. Metallic in appearance and heavy in weight, it was as formidable a defense as he was ever going to find. He turned his head around the corner to see the corpses of the quarian squad.

Ghosts inside bloody shells, was how he would describe them. He could just make out Prazza's frame, his swamp green environmental suit torn to ribbons by the Heavy Mech's automated machine gun. The other quarians had all died in similar fashions; one of them had their body blown half to hell by a short range missile, leaving only a charred carcass that had melted together with its suit.

It was a sickening sight. The sights of dead bodies normally didn't affect X, after all he had never feared death or cared much about life for that matter.

But after dying himself and being brought back from death's embrace; his perspective on life had been altered. Life was a fragile, delicate and beautiful thing.

To see the body of a young quarian woman, legs shredded with bullets and then having her spine shattered into fragments by an emotionless machine. The mere sight made X sick to his stomach.

And sent a fresh surge of rage throughout his body.

* * *

Kid and Seras had taken up whatever defence they could find, and were throwing everything that had at the mechanical beast, which was slowing making its way towards their positions.

"This information had better be worth it!" Kid yelled out, before rolling out from one set of crates to the next, unloading clips of shimmering bullets as he did so.

The air around the Heavy Mech glistened in the darkness as the bullets were absorbed and fragmented. A blue light was briefly seen as the bullets dissolved back into nothingness. Kid cursed his luck as he regrouped with Seras, who was loading another set of rounds into Vladimir.

"It's got a high density force shield; it's going to be pain to get through that" Kid called out, peering from the sides of the crates, then immediately pulled his head back as a fresh set of bullets nearly took his skull apart.

"Suzaku would be a real help about now" the Mesiter murmured to himself.

"Suzaku was weak minded and a traitor, we don't need him in order to take down one mech" Seras snapped back, her heightened senses obviously catching wind of Kid's sly comment.

"Love to hear you plan Seras, because we've got minimal ammo and that behemoth isn't slowing down" Kid answered back.

Taking a chance, he leapt onto the top crate and blindly fired away, hoping to take down the mech's force shielding, but it proved to be much more resistant than he thought, and it didn't take him long before he was jumping back for cover.

"We're not even eating away at its defences!" he cursed.

"My vampirism could crush that thing in ten seconds flat!" Seras snapped back, sending two low range rockets at the mech. The explosion was wild and lit up the docking bay, but it only took a moment for the mech to recover form the recoil and continue its advancement.

"You'd have to get close enough first! And even then, that thing's regular armour isn't anything to laugh about!" Kid called back.

"You could cover me and deal finishing blow yourself" Seras replied, hastily reloading her weapon.

"My weapons can't deal enough damage that quickly, even if I used the Death Cannon System it wouldn't render it completely immobile, you'd get crushed!" Kid explained.

Before the Cerberus Operative could argue, the thundering sound of metal shattered their conversation. Both turned to see the Heavy Mech turn past the set of the crates, and set its crimson red sensors on the pair.

Its left arm was prepped, and the whirl of the built-in machine gun was slowly growing louder.

"Oh shit" Seras cursed.

The heat of the machine gun brushed Seras face like a hot wind. She expected to feel the fragments of metal skewer her skull and tear apart her body. But instead, she felt a cool sensation brush past her cheek in a flash of red.

The X-Projectile split itself into several shards using the enhancements of the X-Suit's propagation ability, splintering into the giant mech's arm. There was a painfully sharp noise as several of the turrets were shredded upon impact, while the other shards lodged themselves into the mech's arm.

"Where would you two be without me?" the two turned to see the masked figure standing atop a set of crates, cracking his knuckles.

The Heavy Mech reared back in response, the weapon imbedded deep in its frame. It tried to realign itself and readied a counterattack, but X already a step ahead. He lunged over the machine, unleashing several projectiles that glistened in red energy. Upon impact, the invisible shield around the mech began crack, burst of electricity exploding in all direction across its structure.

"He's really gotten a handle of that suit, he uses it's systems like he's worn it his whole life" Kid remarked, reloading his weapons in preparation for providing cover fire.

The way Seras furiously reloaded her weapon gave Kid the impression she didn't share his view.

"I helped design every aspect of that suit; I know every individual property of the seven dying will systems. For Christ's sake, I was the one who designed each of the weapons and put them into production! All that idiot is doing is playing around with it! He doesn't have a goddamn clue what he's doing!" she cursed aloud.

"…I'd have to disagree" Kid commented.

"What?" Seras snapped her head up, surprised at her partner's sudden show of defiance.

He motioned her to look back at the fight. As she did, she saw the thief dance his way around the machine's weaponry as if it were an art. The Heavy Mech by this point had resorted to using it's built in rocket launcher to deal with its targets, however, despite it destructive range, none of the flames even licked the ends of the thief's cape.

Skidding directly under it, X flung two projectiles upwards until they reached the shoulders of the mechanical behemoth. From their tips, two streams of energy erupted, cutting through the air as the constantly rotated. The cracking of the machine's shield grew greater, until a sound that resembled broken glass resonated from it.

Not wasting a breath, X teleported in nothingness, before reappearing slightly off the ground in front of the large mech's front. Thrusting both palms forward, a blizzard of projectiles unfurled upon the mechanical giant. The screams of broken circuits and shattered armour echoed throughout the docking bay as the creature fell back, the never-ending assault forcing it into the central part of the docking bay.

"He used the Rain's disintegration, followed by the Storm's fragmentation..." Seras muttered, before returning her attention to Kid, who had a firm smile on his face.

"How did he know those elements contributed to one another? Does he even know their properties?" she asked.

"I don't think he does" Kid responded, eyes fixated on the thief.

"I think he just goes with the flow"

* * *

Another missile, another miss. X was pushing the mech further and further back. Still, it wasn't a completely ignorant opponent. When X tried to get close, it lashed out with whatever robotic ligament was still operational.

The though of having his spine broken with several tones of cold steel did not appeal to X, so he was having to put his teleportation system through it's pacing. Eventually, he found himself an opening when the machine made the fatal mistake of using it's broken arm as a weapon.

Sending its arm crashing down in an attempt to break X into a million pieces, the mech only managed to dent the ground around it, as once again the thief had vanished from sight.

Reappearing only a brief distance away, the mech set its sights on X, just as flung another projectile, substantially larger than the others prior. Darkness consumed the vision of the mech as its sensor was cut in half by the projectile by the much denser projectile, enhanced with the solidification attribute of the suit.

Now blinded, the machine started to rear up in something that resembled primal panic and fear, which resulted in it unleashing several more rockets. They luckily didn't reach their target, but managed to cause some heavy damage to the day around them.

"I think that's your cue Seras!" Kid called out.

In a split second, Seras had leapt over her cover and was sprinting towards her target. Her eyes had become a bitter read, and her teeth had sharpened significantly. She past X in a flash, who remained stationary and watched with some form of curiosity.

Extending her right arm out, the flesh slowly started to become consumed in ballistic red light, radiating a vicious aura. Soon, the ligament had been replaced by a sphere of dark energy, branching out in several menacing strands.

The blind machine could only struggle to try and get a reading on each of its targets, unaware of the looming cataclysm that was the abilities of a vampire. In an instance, the machine had its body crushed by the crimson tendrils. Three deep cuts that stretched from the base of the head to the machine's waist bled electricity as the mech fell to the cold, unforgiving floor.

Seras exhaled a breath before turning to the thief, whose mask hid all emotion other than the fierce heat of his piercing red eyes. Wiping a few blonde strands out of her line of vision, she sent X a smug look.

"Impressed?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Hardly" X responded.

"Enhanced senses, remember? I can hear your heartbeat, you're lying through your teeth" she remarked, back turned to the chaos behind her.

"The only thing that impresses me is the fact your chest can fit into that outfit" X slyly commented.

"YOU ASSHOLE!" Seras howled, spitting venom at the masked thief.

From the sidelines, Kid chuckled to himself. Those two were too alike for their own good, both independent spirits that couldn't stand being bettered by anyone else. It was a good thing he was playing peacekeeper or they would have torn off each other's heads by now.

His smile instantly faded when he saw the deathly red glare of the rising machine. With incredible speed, the mech stood tall once again, it's only operational arm scorching with the heat of its incoming attack. Though its mechanical frame was broken, it still was standing strong. Its visor that was cleaved in two was still bleeding sparks.

Kid only needed one second to understand how it was able to lock in so quickly.

It was YMIR model, built in with an emergency second battery in case of a last stand. As for its wrecked vision, it became painfully obvious that there was only other way it could have locked onto the arguing pair.

It had simply switched to sonar, and like a hungry bat it had easily rediscovered their locations. It was no longer blind; in fact it was sharper than ever.

Its recovery was so quick that Kid only had time to gather air into his lungs and scream once.

"SERAS! LOOK OUT!" he cried.

The blonde Cerberus operative felt the burning air on her back, and all she could do was turn and stare the approaching death with her now pale blue eyes. Her heartbeat accelerated, the heat tearing at her skin like wolves, and all she could do was gaze into the fire.

The explosion was short range, causes the flames to spread in opposite directions across the bay. Kid tore through the bay, guns in hand, almost like he was on a suicidal run.

He imagined her burning carcass, her features burnt away by the sting of the white hot flames. His insides were filled with despair; he was so consumed by shock and fear that anger didn't even boil.

It was as he approached the searing flames, that he saw her, on her back on the floor. But from the way her breath was coming out in short rapid bursts, he could see she was very much alive.

Her eyes were fixated on the shadow in front of her. The Meister turned his attention to the caped figure, who was at the very edge of the flames. What was the most shocking thing above all was that he seemed to be the one dividing the flames.

The rocket shell had been cleanly cut into two, the casing themselves had melted away once its contents had been released. Through the wall of flames, the mech itself could just make out why its attack had failed, and why its targets were still alive.

X's right arm was stretched upwards, suggesting that he had swung in an upwards motion. The four metallic shards on his arm that originally been separated into individual pieces had now seamlessly joined together. Extending about a metre in length, glistening in the red flames, was a deep scarlet coloured blade.

The blade originated from the four connected shards, while the first blade stretched outwards from the wrist, two smaller blades extended from the back of his hand. It didn't take a genius to figure out that the shape of the irregular blade was in fact a backwards 'x'.

Seras tried to speak but no words came out. By all rights she should have died then and there, even her vampirism couldn't protect her from an impact that close. Her attention was drawn to X, who seemed to be doing a fantastic job of suppressing his own shock and confusion.

Soon the flames died away, leaving only the mechanical behemoth and the thief. Taking in the deep red of the blade, X set his attention on the beast, who seemed to be trying to calculate ho its target still had a pulse.

"Let's see how long it takes for me to cut you" X whispered maliciously.

The robotic creature attempted to pin the thief down with its only usable arm; however, the thief's blood was already surging with adrenaline, and managed to easily sidestep the mechanical ligament. Leaping high into the air, the thief descended onto the machine, who in defence brought up its arm to block the attack.

So when the blade cut through the armour and separated the arm from the rest of the mechanical frame, it proved pointless.

Electricity and black fluid sprayed all across the area, causing the machine to lose its balance and fall onto its other arm. Releasing something that resembled a roar, the machine tried to crush the life out of the thief with its one remaining form of offense.

X immediately countered, bringing his irregular blade forward, striking the mechanical arm head on, and subsequently tearing through it. Blood of the machines sprayed from its wound, the sounds of various mechanical components being torn apart.

However, it wasn't finished yet. Due to the large length of the Heavy Mech's arm, not all of the arm was cut, and in turn it had pinned down the thief, whose weapon was connected them together. The machine slowly began to press down, forcing the thief to take a couple of steps back. All weapons gone, the mech had resorted to slowly breaking his body apart by applying it's heavier weight against him.

It machines could laugh, he was sure that this particular one would be howling with glee.

The thief's eyes narrowed. He flung his left arm to the side, the individual shards instantly connected, causing a second blade to reveal itself with it's edges glowing with a faint aura, much like fire.

Bring him left arm across, the blade easily chewed through the arm of the Heavy Mech, separated the two individuals. The machine didn't have time to register a possible counterattack before X plunged his weapon into its chest panel, the wound oozing sparks.

"Divide…" X whispered.

The machine tried to ram X to the ground, but X wasn't finished. He brought the impaled blade upwards, creating even more cuts in the machine's body, before sweeping both blades simultaneously, and tore away its legs.

"…and conquer" he concluded.

Helpless, the machine fell to the ground with a thunderous clatter. However, it still wasn't dead. X gave it a final look before simply walking away while the machine bled out whatever liquid kept it functioning.

"Kid, it's all yours"

Seras then turned her head to her partner, who hadn't just been sitting idly by. His two individual pistols were now two large silver cylinders that consumed most of his arms. Two spikes had arose from his shoulders, and were now generating purple electricity, his eyes were dead set on the machine and his intent was clearly evident.

"System Operational. 100% Thermal Output. Preparing to fire" he announced, dense energy starting to gather within the two cylinders.

"Death Cannon" he declared.

It was a single shot, made up of two individual thermal bursts. The recoil sent him skidding back slightly; however, the result was far worse for the Heavy Mech. The explosion engulfed the entire machine, ripping its mechanical structure to pieces, leaving nothing but a few scraps of charred metal.

Seras finally found her feet, choking on the smoke left behind from the explosion and shielding her eyes from the smog. Kid walked over, the two cylinders reverting back to their original pistol form in a matter of seconds.

"Well, that takes of that. You okay?" he asked in genuine concern.

Seras nodded, shifting her attention to the thief who was standing away from the remains of the machine, and was instead admiring the blades that were connected to his arms. I was a miracle he hadn't cut himself, they weren't exactly light in weight, and he had never practised in any from of swordsmanship before. Whatever they were, he took an instant liking to them.

* * *

**Rain Attribute: Irregular Blades Ver. X** _–_ _Weaponised form of the Rain Element. Combines the disintegration property of the dying will flames with two sleek blades, allowing them to cut through almost all matter._

* * *

"Looks like you activated one of the suit's primary weapons" Seras commented. X turned to her with bewilderment in his eyes.

"Swords? You guys gave me swords? I'm all for upgrades but you guys just go to the extreme" he half-chuckled.

"Welcome to Cerberus" Kid added.

"Not my ideal choice, but you seemed to make the most of the Rain's main weapon, nice job" Seras concluded.

_"Did she just compliment me?" _X thought to himself.

"I heard you guys muttering about the suit's arsenal, what's up with all these weird codenames?" he asked.

"Ah, those. You see when the suit was made, the Illusive Man discovered seven separate elements with unique individual properties. Fragmentation, disintegration, solidification, activation, construction, propagation and unification. After testing the extent of these attributes, we converted them into suitable weapons for the suit" Seras explained.

"You mean like the teleportation system and the projectiles?" X asked.

"Those are additional weapons that were made as a foundation, just in case you needed to defend yourself if the rest of the weapons systems were locked down. You need to understand these elements are in a constant state of flux, making them powerful but unstable, if you were to some how unleash multiple elements at the same time, you'd kill yourself and a lot of people around you. Our little gridlock helps prevent that" she continued.

"You guys don't do anything half-assed do you?" X asked sarcastically.

"It's not in our nature or our contract. As per your original question, the Illusive Man saw some resemblance to different forms of natural phenomenon in various climates, so he codenames each of the elements as such" she concluded.

* * *

**Sky: Unification **

**Storm: Fragmentation **

**Rain: Disintegration**

**Sun: Activation **

**Thunder: Solidification **

**Mist: Construction **

**Cloud: Propagation**

* * *

"Cute, the big boss normally name things this extravagantly?" X asked, voice swarming with mockery.

"Say what you want about the names, the weapons are some of the finest. Before their extinction, the Vongola managed to bring entire governments to their knees just by using a few of these weapons, and the could use no more than one" Seras added firmly.

"While lucky old me gets the whole collection" X grinned.

"I'm sure you'll get plenty of ample opportunities to put the suit and its contents through its paces, but for now we have bigger things to worry about" Kid stepped in.

"He's right, we've wasted too much time here, we need to get to that quarian before he unleashes another swarm of mechs on us" Seras agreed

"Let's find ourselves a quarian" X smirked.

* * *

The room was cramped and extremity dark, the only light that was visible was the shimmering glow of the holographic screens, blurring by in a second as a lone figure scrolled through them at a breakneck pace. From his appearance it was clear that this was the quarian known as Veetor.

"Monsters coming back, mechs w-will protect, have to stay hidden. No swarms, no monsters, no, no, no, no!" he babbled, his voice with that same metallic edge as all other quarians.

Red X slowly slipped into the room, followed closely by Seras and Kid. X walked right up to the chair, the quarian not even noticing his presence. He was typing away like a madman, muttering and whimpering.

"No monsters…no swarms" he kept repeating.

"Veetor?" X asked, with a small sense of caution.

"Veetor not here. Monsters coming back. Have to hide" the quatrain repeated, not bothering, the fear in his voice constantly rising and falling.

"I don't think he can hear you, X" Kid added.

"Looks like he's been scared to death, I've never seen anyone so out of it" Seras commented.

X walked over, lightly tapping the quatrain on the shoulder. He shook slightly, but other than that didn't register him. He snapped his fingers a couple of times, but even that did nothing.

X peered up at the array of the holographic screens, and an idea suddenly came to him. He placed his palm over the highest one, leaving an 'x' imprint. Slowly, the screens started to violently shake, until eventually they cut out all together.

Obviously stunned by the occurrence, Veetor slowly rotated his chair towards the trio, seemingly coming out of his fearful trance.

"You're…human? How are you still here? Why did they not take you?" he asked, his words stammering, still showing signs of severe trauma.

"Whoa, slow down, who didn't take us? What happened to the people here?" X asked, the quarian stammered, as if he was struggling to find the right words.

"The…the monsters. The swarms. They appeared and…t-took everyone" he stammered, his words catching X's attention.

"What monsters Veetor? Can you tell me what happened?" X asked.

He may have been slightly heartless, but there was no way he was going rough up a traumatised individual who sounded they were barely out of adolescence. He was a thief, he wasn't a Cerberus operative.

"You weren't there, you didn't see them…but I saw everything" he slowly spoke out. He then returned to the keyboard and typed in a few commands. Instantly, footage appeared on the holographic screens. The various buildings and passages they had crossed earlier were bathed in orange light.

"Looks like security footage, he must have pieced it together manually" Seras commented.

The footage seemed pretty empty for the most part, but then…

"What the hell?" X thought aloud.

A swarm of peculiar shaped creatures, resembling insects, flew across the screen, buzzing around various coffin shaped objects. As it past the screen, a person's outline could be seen encased inside, looking almost lifeless. But that wasn't all.

Standing besides the coffin, seemingly escorting it, was a creature of average human height, but that's where the resemblance ended. It had seemingly hollow skin, like varnished bark, with large heads that was seamlessly connected to the body. Even through the orange shade of the screen, it's abnormally large, piercing yellow eyes shone through. In its humanoid hands it held some sort of assault rifle, only twisted in shape and matched perfectly to the creature's appearance.

"My god…I think…it's a Collector" Seras commented, throat dry.

"A Collector? What the hell is a Collector?" X asked, finding it hard to take his eyes away from the creature.

"Their place of origin is unknown, all we know is that they come from somewhere beyond the Omega VII Relay. They've been spotted only a couple of times over the past few centuries" Kid explained.

X had heard a few stories about the Omega VII Relay, some sort of giant Mass Relay with a corrupted core that had sent countless spaceships to their doom. It was considered cursed, but had been too much trouble to try and destroy, so it was an official no go area. Just one of the reasons why the Terminus was so treacherous.

"They've been known to have advance technology…perhaps advance enough to take out an entire colony" Seras commented.

"Seems possible" Kid agreed.

The footage continued to play, showing the insects that surrounded the Collectors fly off into various buildings. One piece of footage caught a young woman trying to escape, only for the insect to sting her on the base of her neck. She fell to the floor, not moving an inch.

"S-Seeker swarms. They find you, freeze you, t-then the monsters come and take you away" Veetor explained, shivering slightly at the mere mention.

"What are these swarms? Aliens? Insects?" X asked.

"Machines designed to look like insects, they come in huge clouds…t-then they freeze you, and monsters take you away, they took everyone away" Veetor added, his voice breaking.

"Sounds like some sort of probe, hunt down victims, and then paralyse them. That would explain why there are no signs of damage on the other colonies" Seras evaluated.

"Then why didn't they take you?" X questioned.

"Swarms didn't find me, monsters didn't come" Veetor hastily added.

"His environmental suit probably messed up their scanners, either that or the swarms only hunt humans" Kid analysed.

"That just raises further questions. Collectors only act as mercenaries or other hired killers, what would benefit them from taking entire human colonies?" Seras questioned.

"Veetor, can you tell us what happened next?" X asked.

"Monsters came and took everyone, they put thme ontot heir ships, and then they left. But they'll come back for me, nobody escapes!" Veetor responded, voice breaking.

"I think he's had it, I doubt we'll find anything else about what happened here form him" Kid murmured.

X stared at the quarian, and as much as he tried to deny it, he could only feel pure sympathy for him. He gently put his hand on his shoulder, causing the quarian to recoil form it slightly.

"Thank you Veetor, you've been a great help" X complimented.

"H-Help? Yes, help. I took readings with my omni-tool, scanned the swarms, made files and files of data, have it all recorded" Veetor added, refferign to the device around his right arm.

"Well, then it's settled, we're taking the quatrain back Cerberus, I'll prep the shuttle for evac" Seras announced.

The sound of sliding doors caught their attention, and X felt his world consumed by purple as Tali entered, sealing herself in the room with them. From her posture, he guessed she had heard everything.

"Are you serious? Veetor is traumatised and he's injured! I have to take him back to the flotilla to receive treatment!" she insisted, coming between the Cerberus operatives at her fellow quarian.

"We're not going to interrogate him, we just need the data he's gathered from the attack. He'll be returned unharmed" Kid promised, but that did little to ease the situation.

"You're people betrayed us once, if we had him over we'll never get the information we need. I suggest you get out of our way" Seras threatened.

"Just try it!" Tali yelled, grabbing her pistol. She aimed it directly at Seras, and made the situation a hell of a lot worse.

Kid immediately drew his two signature pistols, both aimed for Tali. He was a quicker shooter, and could take her down before Tali even had time to pull the trigger. Seras smirked satisfaction, obviously aware of her partner's speed.

X was faster than anyone could blink. He kicked Kid firmly in the chest, sending him flying back, before grabbing Tali's slimmer wrists with his one hand, and raising her arms up, so that the gun pointed at the ceiling.

"Nobody is shooting anyone! Kid, you keep that trigger finger of yours at bay, that's an order" X snapped.

He got a groan in response.

"Tali, I know your angry, but please, don't anything you'll regret" X whispered.

Tali was barely breathing, their masks were almost touching. He held her hands firmly, yet gently at the same time, almost like he was caressing him. It had been five long years, but he still made her weak at the knees and left he feeling flustered.

He had no idea how much she had missed him, how she had talked of him to her friends and family, and how she often dreamt of him, far and few nowadays, but he still came back when she least expected it. She had especially been dreaming of moments like this.

…Was it getting hot in here?

"I-I can't let you take Veetor, by all means take his omni-tool and scan the data, but please let him come with me" she asked, voice barely above a whisper.

X was silent for a moment before releasing his grip, separating the distance between them. Tali felt a little par of her despair at the distance, but she quelled it.

"Veetor goes with Tali, you can take the data back to your boss, but just the data" X announced. Kid nodded, his ribs still bruised, but Seras was less understanding.

"Are you insane! The one chance we get to find something about these abductions and you're giving away our only piece of knowledge!" she howled.

"He's told us everything he knows, and you've got enough a lead now, there's no need for any more senseless interrogation" X retorted.

"But you can't-"

Seras was taken aback when he closed the gap between them. Unlike with Tali, this was filled with threat and malevolence. The red of X's eyes burned through Seras, telling her he wasn't going to let it drop.

"The quarian goes with her, you get your data, end of story. Understand Victoria?" X snarled, each word like a blade ready to impale her.

"…Yes sir" she hissed back.

Tali put her arms around Veetor and held him up for support. She shared a look with X that told her she wanted to talk more, more about him, about what had happened to her. How she wasn't a helpless girl anymore. How she was a woman worthy of his attention.

X beat her to the punch.

"You should come with us Tali, it'd be nice to catch up" X commented. Tali felt fire surge form her chest, and circulate around her body in a storm of delight and nervousness.

"I…I'm sorry X. I'm needed back on the flotilla, plus I can't be seen working with Cerberus" she gave Seras her best death glare. It was returned.

"Ah…" X responded, feeling slightly embarrassed.

"But any information I can find about the abductions I'll send to you. Your 'friends' will have the data as soon as we get to the Migrant Fleet" she said, glaring at the operatives.

"Sounds goods to me" X responded. The pair made it to the doorway and were about to enter back into the wilderness of Freedom's Progress when she turned her ahead.

"X…I'm glad I got to see you again" she said, smiling.

"Likewise" X returned the unseen smile.

And with that, the door shut. The trio spent a few seconds in silence before Seras wordlessly stormed out of the room. Kid sighed at the outcome and closely followed, still clutching his chest.

X took one final look at the screen, the picture of the Collector perfectly captured. He felt a disturbing feeling wash over him. In his gut, he knew he would be seeing that inhuman face again.

"Collectors…what in the hell are you?" he asked aloud.

With that final breath, he left the room in blackness, heading back into the ghost down that now had inhabitants taken by ungodly beasts.


	17. The New Normandy

Cerberus Rising

Stage Two: Kings and Queens

Chapter One: The New Normandy

"X, good work on Freedom's Progress, you managed to find some crucial insight that eluded us until now. Your performance is even greater than I had expected."

Shadows and smoke consumed the room. Even in the dark, the Illusive Man's presence was still imposing, but not in the way you would normally think. His presence made you feel like he was always a step ahead; as if he knew things about that you yourself didn't know, even about your own identity.

That's how he made Red X feel at least.

"The quarians forwarded us the data from the debriefing of the lone survivor, nothing new to add, but it seems you played a part in creating an olive branch between Cerberus and the Migrant Fleet. Quite surprising, considering our history" the Illusive Man commented, taking another sip of his whiskey.

"What can I say, it pays to have connections" X shrugged.

"You and I may different methods, but I can't argue with you results" he added.

"I don't make a habit out of blowing up ships or killing other races, might be why you guys aren't nominated for the annual peace prize" the thief snorted.

"Diplomacy is great when it works, but rather difficult when everyone already perceives you as a threat" the Illusive Man responded, inhaling and consequently exhaling a fog of deep grey smoke.

"But to the matter at hand, you managed to confirm that the Collectors are behind the abductions"

X's eyes narrowed, despite only meeting him a few times, he was starting to pick up on little signs in his posture and his voice. It paid to know how to study people, and the thief had already crafted his own picture of what the Illusive Man was like in his own mind.

"Why do I get the distinct impression that knew about them already?" he asked, voice bordering on a snarl.

"I had my suspicions, but I needed solid evidence. Despite all our resources, the Collectors are an enigmatic species, we know next to nothing about them" he explained, crushing another cigarette in his ashtray.

"If you've had minimal contact, then how do you now this is related to the Daleks?" X asked, arms crossed, almost to shield himself form those vivid and horrifying images.

"Their focus shifted to human colonies after the Dalek known as Emperor was destroyed by the Titans. Even if the DWMA or the Council refuse to believe it, there is a link to the Daleks, which means they are an enemy of humanity" he explained.

He finished the rest of his beverage in a single swallow, at set his almost inhuman eyes on the thief. X would never admit it, but those eyes have him the creeps, like they were staring through him and all his defenses.

"But, before we discuss any further details on the Collectors, I need to know where you stand in all this" he asked, folding his hands together.

X exhaled a long breath; he had been dreading this question.

"You proved on Freedom's Progress that not only are you the weapon that humanity desperately needs, but you are a natural leader. No matter what you think, we need you at the helm of this counterattack. But, like I said, the choice is yours. You can walk away and return to your old life, or you can join us and defend humanity from its greatest enemy" the Illusive Man explained.

X's muscles tightened and his mouth dried. He had convinced himself that he wasn't going to remain a puppet for this organisation, no matter what they had done for him. But the vision of the Dalek invasion, the sight of that woman being abducted by those monstrous Collectors, it haunted him to his core.

It had slowly dawned on him that he was no longer the man he once was, ever since awakening in that facility he knew that in his heart he was no longer the selfish thief that could only live for himself. He had always shown traits of being a good person at heart, but refused to live by the codes of a law he despised.

This feeling that had gathered in his chest, the constant struggle between his pride and his own connection to humanity, a tie he had tried all too often to sever. He looked the Illusive Man squarely in the eye, knowing that he already knew where his choice lay.

He had been dead for five years; his old life had been buried along with the rest of the Normandy. There was no going back now.

"Alright, I'm in" he acknowledged.

He wasn't sure, but he thought he saw the Illusive Man smile. If he did, it vanished a second later, as if he would not allow himself a moment of personal triumph.

"Excellent, now we have a fighting chance. We can no longer wait for that idiotic Council to make the decision to defend humanity. We have to take the fight to them" he explained.

"If the Collectors are working for the Daleks, then I'm going up against impossible odds here" X commented.

"What do you suggest?" the Illusive Man asked.

"I'm going to need an army…or a really good team" X acknowledged. He had always remained a solo act, but he knew that it would be suicidal to think he could handle things by himself.

"I've already compiled a list of mercenaries, scientists, and other various individuals that would be a great asset to our mission. I'll send you dossiers on their locations and identities. Trust me when I say they are the best of the best" the Illusive Man confirmed.

"_He already knew I couldn't refuse something like this, sneaky bastard" _X thought to himself.

"Finding them and convincing them to join you may prove challenging, but from what I've seen you're a more than capable leader, I have no doubt you'll find a way" he explained.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence" X said sarcastically.

"In the meantime, I'll keep track of the Collectors and their movements. I'll notify you when they next appear. Make sure you and your team are ready" he said, absolute authority in his voice.

"You keep your eyes on the bugs, I'll handle the rest" X confirmed. Though in his mind, the fact _he_ was gong to play leader was quite daunting.

"Glad to hear it, before you go I have two things that need mentioning" the Illusive Man added, lighting up another cigarette.

"Fire away" X added slyly.

"You can decide who you want to recruit first, but I suggest you first head to the planetary station of Omega and find Edward Elric. He's a promising alchemist and could provide a great help in finding a way to counteract the seeker swarms" he explained.

"_An alchemist? Haven't met many of those before"_ X thought to himself.

"Fair enough, what's the second thing?" X asked.

"I've found you a pilot; you're going to be traveling a lot so I invested a great deal of time and effort in getting you a ship and crew. I hear he's one of the best, I'm sure it'll all be to your satisfaction" he explained.

The sound of footsteps caught X's attention, and he whirled around to see another figure enter the room he was in. He looked to be in his mid-twenties, dressed in a long red jacket and white top. His most noticeable feature was his flaming ginger hair, he wore a smile that showed steady pride, and didn't seem deterred by X's appearance.

"Howdy, I'm Philip Fry. Nice to meet ya, boss" he grinned.

* * *

"You used to be a DWMA pilot?" X asked.

"Damn straight! I flew the LL6 Nostromo during that whole siege of the Citadel incident, got real close to that Dalek" Fry explained.

They were walking through the Cerberus Facility, Fry taking lead, because X had no idea where he was going. X wasn't sure why, but Fry seemed to be his kind of guy, he definitely wasn't like any other pilot he had encountered in the DWMA.

"So you believe in them?" X asked.

"The Daleks? Hell yeah! I was practically on top of the thing, saw a lot of other ships go down; you can imagine I was pretty pissed when the Council called it a Cyberman attack. I started asking too many question and got grounded" he sighed, rubbing the back of his neck.

"So you joined Cerberus?"

"You bet, these guys may be on the shady side, but at least they get things done. And hey, imagine by surprise when I got told I was gonna be the pilot for the guy who took on a Collector ship and lived" Fry chuckled, slapping X on the back.

X was quiet for a moment, and suddenly felt a fresh wave of anger run through his blood line adrenaline. So it had been the Collectors that had spaced him, he knew the design of their armour looked familiar, but he hadn't expected it to be…

"You okay?" Fry asked.

"…Yeah, just fine" X sighed.

He wasn't. He was now seething with anger; just adding to the reasons why he had agreed to join the Illusive Man's taskforce. He hoped he found the bugs soon, he wanted payback, and he wanted it badly.

"So I hear we're off to collect a bunch of psychos and go kick so Collector ass! Now that's what I'm talking about!" Fry declared, pumping a fist in the air.

X sighed; the guy had no clue what he was getting himself into. He was about to ask where he was leading him, before the entered a large area, where the air was much denser. The sight before X made all previous rage seep out of him, and was placed with a strong sense of nostalgia.

The ship was twice the size of the DWMA's finest cruiser. It was sleek, coloured both black and white, with two large engines at both the port and starboard sides. Along the right side of the ship was painted the words SS2. It was a magnificent ship, and left X feeling slightly saddened yet pleased. It brought back memories of the incident that had changed everything.

"She's a beauty, isn't she? My own personal sweetheart" Fry grinned.

X had to admit, the Illusive Man knew how to spend his cash. He hadn't seen any other ship like it. The very thought of him being a captain of something this was daunting, but at least his base of operations was the best of the best. Hell, he hadn't even seen the inside yet.

"Should be a real treat to fly, but I haven't given her a name yet. Was leaving that privilege to you, boss" Fry grinned.

It only took X a moment to make up his mind.

* * *

The docking bays doors of the Cerberus Facility slowly slid open, revealing the blackness of outer space. Like a beast being released from it's cage, the SS2 Normandy scorched out of it's dust filled prison and felt the bitter cold of the universe.

Propelled by its twin engines, the crowning jewel of Cerberus technicians and designers cut through the cold dark like a luminous sword. Silent as a shadow, it followed the directions of its master, and began its course through the stars.

If the exterior of the ship had surprised X, then the inside had him dumbfounded. He remained the interior of the last Normandy, a single passage way with a central oval shaped table that held various computers and scanner in place. This mirrored it slightly, by having the same kind of structure, but multiplying it tenfold.

X walked down the pathway like it was his coronation. He peered behind him to see Fry in the cockpit, looking like his birthday had come early. Beside him were Seras and Kid, who were now official members of his team. As he walked down into the central information center, he noticed a few people walking around or at their stations.

They looked up at him briefly before returning to their respective duties. X suddenly felt very uncomfortable. He wasn't used to people looking at him in his costume and not attacking him. The thought that they were all under his command went against every bone in his body, but he would just have to overcome that and get used to being surrounded by people invested in the same cause as him.

He walked down five steps which led to the center of the current deck. There was a central console in the center with large holographic design of what appeared to a galaxy. Most ships had "galaxy maps" in the current military, but none as advance as this.

He looked around and took in a deep breath. This was his, and his to command. He truly had taken the plunge.

"Welcome to the new Normandy, Captain" Kid smirked.

"I can't say your boss doesn't put his money where his mouth now" X commented.

"You're in charge now, we follow whatever order you give. The Illusive Man doesn't have run of the ship" Kid explained.

"Well, isn't that something" X smirked.

"I guess this is quite the career change for you" Seras added.

"You could say that, what about the rest of crew? They happy following a former thief?" X asked, the words "former thief" not sounding as bad as he thought.

"All they know is that you're in charge and that you've managed to cheat death, no one will question you aboard this vessel" Kid confirmed.

"Well, unless you do something incredibly stupid" Seras added.

Before X could snap back, she passed him four objects. They were holographic files, each containing various data. X could already guess what these were; they were the dossiers that the Illusive Man had put together. He briefly scanned each, the only thing standing out being the codenames they had been given.

* * *

**The Alchemist **

**The Ice Dragon **

**The Prisoner **

**The Arrancar**

* * *

"I recommend we start with Edward Elric, the Alchemist stationed on Omega. If we're going to be encountering those seeker swarms then we should get an expert in on how to deal with it" Seras stated.

"_Acquiring the Fullmetal Alchemist does seem like a logical place to start" _

The voice was layered with electronic attachments, and made X whirl around in surprise, but saw nobody standing behind him. He looked back to see Seras grinning at his confusion and went red under his mask.

"Alright, I give up, whose there?" X asked, looking at the ceiling.

A sudden illumination of light caught his attention. He turned around to see a sphere of purple light. It was no bigger than a regular football, and seemingly holographic in design. X had to blink a couple of times before coming to the conclusion the voice belonged to the hologram.

"_I am the Normandy's artificial intelligence, but the crew have taken to calling me Leela" _the hologram announced, a split in the holographic sphere appearing every time it spoke.

"Leela? Bit of an interesting name choice" X thought aloud.

_"I will take that as a compliment, Captain"_ Leela responded.

"So do you control the ship? If so I'll just drop off Fry" X announced, half-jokingly.

"I HEARD THAT!" Fry yelled back.

"_Actually, in the instance of a rogue A.I, Cerberus has limited my capabilities. My primary functions are to provide information and support to you and your team during missions, and operate electronic and cybernetic warfare during conflicts with enemy ships. Beyond those functions I cannot integrate myself into the ship, I am simply here to observe, analyze, report and offer advice"_ Leela stated.

"Well…uh, glad to have you onboard" X stated, not really used to talking to artificial intelligence, he preferred to be the one controlling the tech and not the other way around.

"_I am present within several terminals around the Normandy, you may contact me if you ever need information"_ she explained.

"I'll be sure to remember that" X responded.

With that, the hologram faded into nothingness, leaving X slightly bewildered. He leaned back against the panel and stared at his two team-mates, slowly digesting all that had happened.

"So, are we heading off to get this Elric guy or what?" X asked.

"Coordinates have already been set; in the meantime maybe you should freshen up and explore the ship, it would be beneficial if you got to know your ship before you drag us off to god knows where" Seras commented.

"Freshen up? Who are you, my mother?" X snorted.

"I did spend five years bringing you back to life, so I think I know every inch of your body by now" she added.

X went a deep red, she must have heard his heartbeat because she gave a wink before leaving, disappearing behind one of the door automatic doors that were built at both ends of the room just behind the galaxy map.

"We'll be at our stations, you can find us if you need to, sir" Kid nodded, giving X a salute before heading off on his own.

The thief was left alone with his own thoughts. He peered around the central deck, realising that whether he liked it or not, this was his life now. He had been a deadman only hours ago, now he was a captain with nothing to win and everything to lose.

_"New Normandy. New Red X" _he thought to himself.


	18. Captain and Commander

Cerberus Rising 

Stage Two: Kings and Queens 

Chapter Two: Captain and Commander

The Normandy, Cerberus's ultimate ship, was now _his_ ship.

As the memories of the last few hours rolled though his mind, X started to become aware of the pain that was slowly flooding through his body. His knees buckled slightly as he tried to steady himself.

The realization then hit him. Between escaping the Cerberus Facility and fighting through Freedom's Progress, he had pushed his body to the limit. Even with his new suit, he wasn't able to escape the overwhelming fatigue that had slowly been drowning him.

He needed to find a place on the ship to gather his bearings, and at least lie down for an hour. He had a terrible feeling in his gut that wherever the ship was heading to, danger and death was waiting for him.

With that in mind, he walked around the edge of the central deck. He noticed the eyes of the crewmen peering up at him from their consoles. Strangely enough, nobody was actually located at the console where the galaxy map was held.

Or so he thought.

"Nice to finally me you, Captain" a young voice caught X's attention, he turned to see a young woman standing by a console to the far right of the galaxy map. She was quite short and very thin, but much like everyone else she was wearing the Cerberus insignia on her uniform.

The first thing X noticed was despite the short crop hairstyle, the beautiful brown eyes definitely belonged to that of a woman. She gave a smile and walked over to the masked man.

"And you would be?" X asked.

"Haruhi Fujioka, I'm your yeoman, I'll be responsible for providing with updates on your personal terminal, any messages sent to you by the Illusive Man, and the mental status of your team" she explained.

"Don't let my looks fool you, I'm an expert psychologist" she smiled happily.

"So you're my psychiatrist…and my secretary?" X asked. A quick flush of red hit Haruhi's face, but she quelled it with a laugh before crossing her arms.

"Miss Victoria said you were quite sharp tongued, that and totally obnoxious" she added.

X couldn't help but chuckle with her. The girl seemed to have an aura about her, one that he immediately liked. She reminded him of Tali in some ways; she had that same sweet presence about her.

"So you're here to make sure I don't screw up?" X asked.

"That's about the long and the short of it" she returned another smile.

"Well, I guess we get along fine Miss Fujioka" X said holding out a hand, which the yeoman immediately took and shook with vigor.

"I'll be here if you need anything, sir" she said, returning to her formal attitude.

* * *

Wordlessly, X headed towards his destination, the elevator. Upon entering, the door immediately closed shut, and he exhaled a long breath. He wasn't used to people being so friendly with him; this was going to take some getting used to.

"Hey Leela, you here?" X asked.

"_Affirmative, X"_ the electronic voice of Leela suddenly spoke out, accompanied by the pulsating holographic sphere.

"Give me a run down of the ship's layout" X ordered.

_"The SS2 Normandy is divided into five decks. Our current location resides in Deck 2, known as the Combat Information Center. It is here that you can access different routes to various star systems and planets. It also contains the armory and the central meeting room. Cerberus Operative Death the Kid is stationed here for the time being"_ Leela explained.

"Anywhere I can collapse?" X asked, feeling weakness fill his legs.

_"Deck 1, also known as the Captain's Quarters, may be a suitable resting spot_" Leela added, though not without a hint of sarcasm hidden in her electronic voice.

X's head snapped up; even while drowning in fatigue he could still feel the shock surge through his system.

"I have an entire deck to myself?" he thought aloud.

_"It is at the peak of the Normandy, so is much smaller in size, but is still considerably larger than the standard rooms used by the rest of the crew"_ Leela explained.

The elevator came to a smooth halt. X stepped out of the doors into a small grey-colored space. There was only a foot of distance separating the door of the Captain's Quarters and the elevator. Almost nervously, X stepped forward, the single door sliding open instantaneously.

He stood inside his quarters, and soaked up the view. It was separated by a small set of steps that divided what he presumed was the work area and the actual bedroom. To his right was a long running desk that led up to a private terminal. Directly ahead of him was a bed big enough for two, dressed in ruby red sheets. Running underneath the desk a level below was a couch coated in strong white leather that was placed at a right angle. Finally, placed between the angled sofa, was a glass table.

"_Welcome to your quarters, commander, I hope it is to your satisfaction"_ Leela's voice echoed through his room, however it barely reached the masked man's ears.

X dropped the dossiers on the table and made his way over to the bed. He sat on the edge and felt his body slump. He slowly brought his hands to his head, and gripped the mask that had branded him for years. Unlike his previous suit, his new mask resembled a helmet in terms of hardness and durability. Grasping it tightly, he slowly removed it from his head.

Blood red hair blinded him, he didn't bother to swipe it away, and instead he simply sat there and breathed slowly but heavily. The situation had finally started to catch up to him, being dead for five years, becoming an instrument of war. It was only made bearable by the fact that he had no one to mourn for, and no one to mourn for him.

Placing the helmet down on the bed beside him, he realized that Seras was right; his body was soaked in sweat, dirt and injuries.

But first…

"Leela, are there camera feeds all over the Normandy that directly link to the Illusive Man's terminal" he asked, his voice no longer bound by the metallic edge of the suit.

"_Yes, the are exactly 261 feeds placed all over the ship, they were placed there as a security measure in case-"_

"Disable them, all of them" X announced, running a hand through his dyed hair.

"_X, I must advise against such action as-" _

"You can report if every mission was a success or failure in as much detail as you want to the Illusive Man, but no way am I having him watch me twenty four hours of the day. Disable all cameras. That's an order" X declared.

_"Affirmative, commencing self-destruction of miniaturized camera feeds"_ Leela announced.

X slowly removed his armored gloves, which might as well be softer versions of gauntlets, followed very carefully by the belt, cape and upper part of the suit. X exhaled briefly, realizing that he should probably start calling it armor, or a weapon, because it was well beyond a suit at this point.

He rubbed his frigid hands together, feeling the beads of sweat and grime meshing together. He hadn't properly cleaned in five years, the stench from the suit and his body made him realize just how ugly things had gotten.

He peered upwards; on the left side of the room were several steel panels, each the size and shape of a wardrobe. As if she were reading his mind, Leela once again spoke out.

"_Your quarters also come equipped with many features and facilities that aim to assist in relaxation"_ no sooner had she said it, several of the panels opened up, revealing that the room was much larger than anticipated.

Directly in front of him was a white, sleek bathroom. It held a built power-shower and lavatory as well as a sink and towel rack. The inside of one of the panels was also mirrored on its opposite side. Along the far left panel appeared to be a frame for his suit to be placed, while on the far right held something that resembled a mini-bar, with a line of several beers and wines.

A small smile crept upon X's face.

_"Your suit will be monitored, repaired, reloaded and cleaned when loaded accordingly, the water is constantly recycled so there is no fear of running out, but I'm afraid you'll have to find more alcoholic beverages if you run out"_ Leela added.

"Thanks Leela, everything's…pretty damn good, but do you mind if I have a little privacy?" X asked.

_"Of course, logging you out X" _the A.I confirmed before disappearing, and leaving the room silent.

X took in a deep breath, the smile still clinging to his face. He proceed to strip until he was fully naked, before carefully placing his suit in the frame on the far left panel, all the pieces being held in place as if he were wearing it himself.

Red X stared at himself briefly, and for once found himself staring at someone who he didn't recognize.

He then proceeded to step over the ice cold floor into the power shower. Pushing the temperature up to max, he let the hot water consume him. He felt bliss overcome him. Steam began to fill the glass cubicle, and the ex-thief felt his skin become a lobster pink.

He had lost track of time, and had no idea of how long he had spent under the torrent of hot water. In all honesty he didn't care, all he knew was that every muscle was slowly unwinding, relaxation grinding its way through his skin.

Forty minutes passed before X slowly opened his eyes, allowing them to be blinded in a steamy veil. He slowly reached across and took the various lotions and shampoos from the side of the shower, and began to lather his body in bubbling foam. For once, he felt himself feel completely at peace.

He forcefully rubbed soap over the various bruises and cuts from his previous scuffles. He ignored the sting, rinsing and repeating until his body was thoroughly cleaned. All the grime of the last few hours had been washed away, plus any other dirt that may have gathered during his comatose at the Cerberus Facility.

Grabbing a towel and lazily wrapping it around his waist, he stepped back into his room, now much warmer from the constant cycle of steam that seemed to be circling around it. The gleam of the mirror caught his eye, and he turned to face his reflection.

It was a haunting sight.

He had dyed his hair red before his heist aboard the old Normandy, and was supposed to be easily washed out. However, it seemed that Cerberus had taken the whole "bring back him exactly as he was" concept to the extreme, as his hair now seemed to be a permanent blood red color. He put a hand through it, brushing it back. He didn't mind it as much, just seemed a little fanatic on Seras's part.

His eyes and skin remained their natural color, only seeming much crisper. There was no sign of any blemishes or extra fat; in fact he looked leaner than ever. However, what caught his attention was his chest.

Long scars, very thin and precise, were carved from his chest all the way down to his stomach. It looked like a statistic pattern, each was parallel to another, and symmetrically it was all very neat, they looked nothing like battle wounds. But they were still there, and there were a lot of them.

He didn't even want to know how many there were below his abdomen.

Feeling slightly uneasy he slowly sat himself down on the bed, staring around his room. For every heist he pulled on Earth and on the Citadel, he had to find a new base of operations. Five or six hotel rooms booked for every heist, which then had to be abandoned after a month. It involved a lot of moving around just to stay under the radar.

X could safely say he had never had a room of his own.

Did that make this ship his new home? He was too tired to go into the ethic of his decision to help the Illusive Man and Cerberus, so instead he simply rolled onto the bed, and felt fatigue finally overcome him.

Sleep dragged him from reality.

* * *

_The cold…the fire…the darkness…_

_At the edge of space he fell, fell into burning winds and frozen earth. A beautiful sun appeared before him before the emptiness ripped the life from._

_She was crying, the girl with the purple veil.  
_

_From the back of his mind, the Collectors were laughing…_

* * *

X awoke with a scream, the darkness suddenly becoming lit with crystal clear lights from before. Forgetting himself for a second, he grasped his throat and chest. After a few steady breaths, he realized that he was not caught in the endless vacuum, and his skin wasn't being torn apart by the brutal environment of space.

He felt them, the Collectors, staring down at him from the depths of his subconscious. They had killed him. Forget Robin, forget the ship, forget the heist, it was those creatures in their warship that had led him to a cold and unforgiving death.

The fear gripped his chest like a vice. He had never even seen what the creatures looked like up close, and yet they scared the living hell out of him.

Slowly, he gathered himself, wiping the cold sweat from his forehead. The lights stung at his eyes and the air chilled his bare skin. He was still wrapped in his towel, still slightly damp from the shower, yet his tiredness had vanished; now replaced with a fresh dose of adrenaline.

After five years of nothing but sleep, he would have thought that rest would be beyond him.

"How long was I out?" X asked the air.

_"Three hours and thirty two minutes. You seemed to experiencing severe nightmares, perhaps it would be best if you spoke to the yeoman concerning recent events"_ Leela responded.

"I don't need a shrink" X grunted, rubbing his sore eyes.

"_Mental repercussions of exposure to spatial vacuum could result in growing trauma. It would be advisable that you consult Yeoman Fujioka or Medical Chief Kirkland if it worsens"_ Leela advised.

"Whatever, how do you even know what I've been through" X snapped back, head still spinning.

"_The documents regarding your reconstruction were submitted to my database by the Illusive Man, I am full up to date regarding your retrieval after the destruction of the SS1 Normandy"_ Leela explained.

X growled in irritation, it was bad enough he had fully resigned himself to this crazy mission, he sure as hell didn't need nightmares plaguing him along the way. Throwing his towel to the side, he made his way towards his suit, trying to ignore the amount of scars on his body.

"_Your suit has been fully prepared for you upcoming mission, I also took the liberty of downloading all relevant information regarding the seven dying will elements to your private terminal" _Leela added.

"Great, I want to look my best when I go on this little manhunt" X sighed, reaching for his helmet.

_"It will take another forty five minutes before we reach our destination, may I suggest that you use the suit for field operations only. Cerberus has taken the liberty of providing alternative outfits"_ Leela spoke out.

The final panel along the wall opened up. X walked over its contents, revealed to be a set of Cerberus outfits, only tailored to his size and all jet black. He couldn't help chuckle at the red 'x' pattern along the right side of his chest. He pulled the short-sleeve shirt from its hanger pulled it over his head.

Grabbing all other appropriate clothing, X found himself feeling refreshed. A small break from the suit was almost unheard of in his case. He studied himself in the mirror, noticing the single scars along both arms. Thankful for small mercies, he didn't really feel too self-conscious about his body in its current state. If anything, the scars ran deeper than his suit or skin.

He looked at his face, brushing his hand over his chin. He wasn't as stupid as Cerberus thought, he knew that they knew who he really was, that they knew his full name and identity behind the mask.

He also knew that it didn't matter; they needed Red X, not the other man. The Illusive Man hadn't even used it as a bargaining chip, which meant this face was worthless. In fairness, the mask had become his face over the years, his true name slowly dying away.

That being said, he still didn't like the idea of walking around the ship with his face exposed. Call it a habit, but he just didn't feel comfortable being around people without some kind of cover over his face. That's how he'd always been, that's how he'd stay.

Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, he noticed something placed alongside the rest of the clothing. He reached in, and ended up pulling a piece of black fabric. He smiled to himself, the Illusive Man had thought of everything.

It was roughly similar to the mask Robin used to wear, in terms of it being able to fit over his eyes and still obscure a good portion of his face. The key difference being that it was jet black all over with two red slits that served as the eyes, and of course, it was shaped in a fashion similar to the letter 'x'.

He places the mask over his eyes, and felt invisible once again.

* * *

_"Deck 3, the Crew's Quarters, utilizes the most space of the ship's upper levels. Aside from various personal quarters and restrooms, this deck also contain the Main Battery Room, Medical Quarters, Mess-Hall, A.I Core, Port and Starboard Observation Rooms, Life Control Support Room and the Executive Officer's Office"_ Leela explained as the lift descended.

"Sounds like the parties all happen on this floor" X remarked.

_"Cerberus Officer Victoria is also stationed on this deck"_ Leela added.

"On second thought, let's skip this floor"

* * *

Engineering was much larger on this Normandy than the previous one. After exiting the elevator, X came across a pathway of railings that either led to a pair of single rooms on the far right and left, or towards another door that allegedly led down set of stairs to where the engineering crew were located.

Directly in front of him was a set of large windows that displayed the lowest deck of the Normandy, the Hangar. Several compact shuttles were located as well as a variety of other vehicles and objects that X could only assume was too large to fit anywhere else.

According to Leela, this deck housed the ship's Drive Core, which was under constant surveillance and always being attended to. It also held the Port and Starboard Cargo areas.

After taking in the sight of the Hangar, X made his way down the stairs towards Main Engineering. He felt the humidity suddenly increase, and was instantly propelled back to his last heist. Tightening his fists, he ignored the nostalgic fear that grew in his belly and made his way down the steel steps.

He was expecting to see quite a few crewmembers running around, but he was dead shocked to see only two people, working side by side at a single panel. They were located on the far right hand side, while the left side seemed to be deserted. In between both panels was another set of railing that presumably led to the Drive Core.

As he approached, one of them raised their heads at the sound of his footsteps. She was quite thin, with bright blonde hair put into two bunches. At the sight of him approaching, she immediately stopped all of her duties and elbowed her partner in the side of the ribs.

"GAH! What was that for!" he yelled out. He was only slightly taller than the girl, and messy grey hair that was obscured by a yellow cap. As soon as he noticed X, his expression turned from annoyance to shock.

"See! I told you he would come down, that's ten bucks you owe me" the girl snorted.

"You didn't even want to bet in the first place!" the other barked, rubbing his bruised side.

X raised an eyebrow. Almost immediately the pair saluted in his presence, where it showed that they, much like Haruhi, were quite young. It appeared that Cerberus was taking anyone in who was devoted to their cause.

"Sir, it's an honour to finally meet you. I'm Normandy Engineer Maka Albarn, and my less than subtle friend here is Engineer Soul Evans" the girl announced.

"We didn't think the Captain would bother coming to see a bunch of grease monkeys like us" Soul commented, earning him another jab to the ribs.

"I'm just making rounds, getting to know the ship a little better. So it's just you two that handles the engines?" X asked.

"We make sure the drive core and propulsion systems are always in check, thankfully Leela takes care of most of it" Maka explained.

"We just have to make sure dust doesn't gather" Soul grinned.

The two then proceeded then to clue X in on their admission into Cerberus. According to them, they had been prodigies when it came to engineering, and had been present during the siege of the Citadel.

"The Council declared it nothing more than a Cyberman Warship, afterwards people started picking up the pieces. Any claims that it really was a Dalek were dismissed" Maka explained.

"Which was bullshit! We both know what the thing was, it nearly took out the entire station! Ain't no Cyberman Cruiser that can do that!" Soul added, snorting in disgust.

"We both knew that the DWMA was running from the truth, so when we were offered to join Cerberus, we said yes without hesitation" Maka concluded.

"And you guys know what we're up against?" X asked, almost sceptically.

"Damn skippy we do! We're off to kick the Collectors right in their happy sacks!" Soul grinned, as if they had already won.

"What he means to say, is that we know all about the abductions. We knew some of those colonies, a lot of the crew come form some of the places that was invaded by the Collectors" Maka elaborated.

"No way we're letting them get away with it" Soul added.

X would be lying if he said he wasn't impressed with their resolve. He had no idea that everyone who joined Cerberus had been affected by the Collectors. In all honesty, he was expecting a lot more people who Seras's attitude, but maybe that was an insult to her character; after all she was the one and only. If everyone on board felt as strongly as those two, no matter what position then, well…

"_Guess that means I'm going to have to step up"_ X though to himself.

"Anyway, it was great making your acquaintance, sir, you can count on us" Maka concluded, shaking X's hand firmly.

"And while you're out kicking the Collector's skulls in, if you happen to come across any advance fuel couplings, be sure to snag them, the core has been going through a bit of a stage at the moment" Soul commented.

Another punch to the ribs followed accordingly.

"Soul! You can't just ask the commander to go out shopping for us! That's just you being selfish and lazy! Not to mention it's insulting!" Maka yelled out.

X shook his head, but managed to hold a smile.

"I'll be sure to keep an eye out, you two just keep this thing running in the meantime" X spoke out.

"Yes sir!" Both of them called out. Maka with enthusiasm, Soul in a whole heap of pain.


	19. The Alchemist: Part I

Cerberus Rising

Stage Two: Kings and Queens

Chapter Three: The Alchemist Part I – Omega 

X exited the elevator, which had returned to the Combat Information Center, and briskly walked past the rest of the crew. Once again, he was greeted with nods of respect by members stationed at their respective terminals. Were they aware how he had been, what his motivations were, why he was even here? In the long run I guess it didn't really matter to them.

His face went slightly scarlet when he got a wolf-whistle from Haruhi. Technically, that was making a mockery of the chain of command, and by all rights she should be disciplined for it.

Of course, she knew X wouldn't have a clue how to adopt the role of commander, let alone the captain of a whole ship. He caught her cheeky grin before returning to her work. He swore that girl was just trying to push his buttons out of curiosity.

"_If she a body like Seras, and if she had a sense of humor like Haruhi, I would have found my perfect woman_" X thought to himself, smirking at the thought.

He made his way up to the cockpit, where he saw Fry making his way through someone's piece of rationed chocolate. The cockpit by itself was rather large, you could easily four people in here with plenty of space left over. Upon hearing him approach, Fry's chair turned around automatically, exposing the pilot.

He had changed his outfit from his regular casual clothes to something more fitting of a pilot. He now wore a short-sleeve that was colored a deep blue with white stripes running along the shoulders. He had also taken up to wearing a navy blue cap, which failed to contain his spiraling red hair.

Overall, he looked like a kid on Christmas morning.

"Hey, here he is! The big cheese himself! I like the change in outfit boss, very 2029" Fry grinned, demolishing the tasty snack.

"Feels kind of awkward, not used to so many people looking at without the mask on" X confessed, leaning against a wall.

"Ah, you'll get used to it; after all we're going to be stuck together for a while" Fry shrugged, throwing the wrapper in a nearby bin, which happened to be bolted into the wall.

"You seemed to have a lot of faith that I can actually pull this off" X analyses.

"You bet. I was an earthborn as well you know, heard about your heists around Jump City and around the Citadel, you seemed untouchable" Fry responded.

"Tell that to the Collectors" X snarled.

"Well, that's why we're here, and you got me as your pilot! As long as you do most of the ass kicking and leave the flying to me we'll end this thing before next Tuesday" Fry joked.

"You can really fly something this advanced?" X asked.

"Don't insult me! I've flown every kind of ship this galaxy had to offer, sure this thing is the top of the market and has the most advanced layout in the history of mankind, but its still just another ship" Fry grinned.

"Sounds like your smitten" X chuckled.

"I can't deny this beauty does have some of the best flight technology and weapon systems ever conceived, she flies like a butterfly and stings like a maternal Arrancar! Plus, leather seats!" Fry cried in joy, striking the sides of his exceptionally large and comfortable chair.

"Oh man, I can't wait to put this baby through her paces!"

"_The Normandy is not an object for you to pleasure yourself with Mr Fry, remember this state of the art, and any ideals of entertainment you have will most surely end in disaster for the ship and inhabitants" _the electronic voice of Leela suddenly emerged from the left side of the cockpit, as well as it's holographic representation.

"And then there's the downside" Fry moaned in annoyance.

"I see that you two have already met" X speculated.

"I had the displeasure of meeting the A.I when it overrode one of my scans, it unfortunately does not seem to have an off switch" Fry complained.

"_Downloading fifty pages of inter-species explicit content does not qualify as "scanning" Mr Fry, you nearly overloaded the mainframe with viruses, I simply attended to my duties of protecting the ship from cybernetic infection"_ Leela explained.

X raised an eyebrow at Fry, who sheepishly looked away.

"Don't act so high and mighty! I can't even browse without having this thing log me off! What if it turns off the engines during a dogfight because she thought one of my evasions 'didn't follow protocol'" Fry ranted.

"In my opinion, you both seem like a match made in heaven" X grinned.

"Easy for you to just stand there and laugh! You don't have to put up with it every second of the day! I swear it's secretly planning to do me in! You just watch, one day the whole thing will crash and I'll get electrocuted all due to a 'system malfunction' and it'll be on your conscious!" Fry snorted.

"Leela, any chance of system malfunction?" X asked.

_"I am able to scan the entire structure of the ship, and address and deal with any internal glitches within microseconds. If there was any chance of a system crash I would take every measure to deal with it" _the A.I responded.

"Seems like she's got things under control" X shrugged.

"Yeah, that's what they said in a Space Odyssey" Fry grumbled.

"Hey, I don't really care if you two don't get along, but I am concerned if your bickering drops the ship into a nosedive. Are you two going to cause me problems?" X asked, crossing his arms.

"…Alright, alright! Don't get your mask in a knot, I'll work with it if it promises to behave" Fry grumbled.

"Leela?" X asked.

"_I am the Normandy, I trust him to keep me operational, he trusts me to keep him alive. I believe we can find a compromise under those rules"_ she replied, a slight hint of bitterness in the voice, it was hard to tell over the robotic speech.

"Good, now if we can put the lover's quarrel to one side for now, can you tell me anything about this place we're heading for?" X asked.

"_Omega. It is located in Sahrabarik System within the Omega Nebula. It was created form the mined husk of an asteroid, and for the last thousand years has been a haven for criminals, terrorists and malcontents" _Leela explained.

"Wait, it's a haven for criminals?" X asked.

"Yep, people call it the "Citadel of the Terminus Systems", you only go there when you're looking for trouble" Fry added.

"_Fabrications of every species have been known to visit the space station. It currently contains 7. 8 million inhabitants"_ Leela further explained.

"Good luck finding your alchemist amongst all of them" Fry joked.

"_After scanning, I have discovered that only medical facility exists on Omega, that of a clinic ran by one Edward Elric"_ Leela emphasized.

"Nice work, how long before we land?" X asked.

"Less than twenty minutes, you'd better gather your bearings, because we're headed of the criminal capital of the Terminus" Fry responded.

"Find us a shadowy place to dock, inform me the second we touch down" X ordered, making his way out of the cockpit.

_"Your suit is full prepped for combat, I have formed a direct link with your radio and will be able to keep in contact when you enter the station"_ Leela added.

"Time to gear up" X smirked.

* * *

"Well, this is charming place" Seras commented.

Even with his mask on, X felt every one of senses recoil from the artificial atmosphere of the station? The filtering did little to stop the nauseous scent sinking through the gaps in his outfit. Seras pinched her nose as the trio walked through one of the many glass tunnels that led to the docking area.

"I've heard a lot of rumours about this place, none of them good. More murder, rape, and drugs are dealt here than in most of Citadel Space" Kid explained.

"Bloody hell" Seras commented.

"The DWMA never cracked down on this place?" X asked.

"7 million criminals crammed together in a part of the galaxy where the law has no power? It would be a massacre for both sides" Seras responded.

"Still, this place has been left to fester, let's just grab the alchemist and leave" Kid added, obviously feeling uneasy.

"Must be the lack of symmetry" X whispered to himself.

Still, he couldn't help at Omega. Its very existence was a safe haven for criminals everywhere. If it had been five years earlier, if he had successfully completed his heist, if he had heard of this torn piece of society…

X mentally shook himself; thinking about it would only leave him more conflicted. He now had an emotional obligation that he couldn't bring himself to break. Despite all that, he couldn't help but feel irony sting at him.

His thoughts were broken when a figure appeared before them. He was very twitchy, and signs of malnutrition painted all over him. He had messy green hair and was dressed head to toe in black. He was awkwardly smiling, like their appearance was some sort of second coming.

"W-Welcome! Welcome! Y-You're all new here, aren't you! I can tell who the new people are! I've got a keen eye!" he grinned, lashing out and forcefully shaking hands with X, who recoiled immediately.

"L-Let me introduce myself, I'm-" the figure immediately went crashing to the dirty floor when a second figure came up behind him and knocked him straight down.

The second figure was much more imposing, although much leaner. He had short purple hair and clear white glasses that he repeatedly altered with his thumb and index finger, he had a swamp green uniform with bloody writings scribbled across the right hand side.

"C-Chikusa! I-I was just-" the figure squirmed as he tried to get back on his feet.

"Get out of here Fran, now" the figure known as Chikusa hissed.

"Y-Yes, of course, whatever she wants" the figure known as Fran spluttered as he frantically ran away from the four, tail between his legs.

"Bloody scavengers, worse than rats" Chikusa commented. He then turned to the trio, his eyes colder than ice and harder than diamonds.

"Welcome to Omega…Red X" he spoke out, emotionlessly.

A small jolt of unspoken shock spirally around the three at the mention of the name. Not one to be intimidated, X stepped forward. Despite being on the alert, he didn't sense any direct hostility coming form the figure, at least yet.

"You know who I am?" he asked.

"Of course, we had you tagged as soon as you entered the Terminus Systems, you're not as subtle as you think" Chikusa responded.

X felt Seras stiffen behind him. Cerberus was supposed to undetectable and untouchable, and for the residents of a place as decrepit as Omega was not only a danger to be wary of, but a major blow to the ego.

"Toph wants to know what brings a dead thief to Omega, so I suggest you get yourself over to the Serpent's Pass right away" Chikusa continued.

"I'm not going anywhere four-eyes, just who the hell is Toph?" X asked.

"Wait…you can't mean…the Blind Eye Bandit Toph?" Seras suddenly spoke out.

"She hasn't used that name in a while, but yeah, my boss used to be known as the Blind Eye Bandit, but nowadays she just goes by Toph" he responded, and then proceeded to stare daggers into X.

"She owns Omega, plain and simple, and doesn't take too kindly to being refused. Even the dead can die twice" he warned.

"Is that a threat?" Kid asked, whipping out his pistols, both ready to blow the brains out of the ghostly figure.

"Hold up Kid" X stated, holding his arm up. Kid's arms relaxed slightly, but his hands remained fixed around the triggers.

"Are you telling me this one girl owns Omega?" X asked.

"That's right, and she's currently interested in you, so I would get your ass to the Serpent's Pass before things turn ugly very quickly" Chikusa hissed.

X was quiet for a moment. Out of the corner of his eyes, he noticed Seras giving him a fixed look. She obviously knew something he didn't, and if a reputation was enough to scare her, then he had better take the hint.

"Okay, we'll play things your way" X agreed.

"Smart move, your chances of living has just gone up. Don't keep her waiting" Chikusa concluded before walking away and disappearing into the dark.

"Care to fill me in on who this Toph chick is?" X asked. Seras sighed, almost in relief, and wiped the sweat that had gathered on her brow out of her face.

"An Earthbender, and a damn powerful one at that, though she was incredibly young. In the early days, she fought in death-matches around the Terminus System, and won everyone fight. Little over three years ago, she disappeared, presumably dead" she explained.

"Why did they call her the Blind Eye Bandit?" X asked.

"Isn't it obvious?" Seras responded.

"…Wait, are you telling a _blind girl_ runs the most vicious criminal haven in the Terminus?" X asked.

"I have a feeling we're about to find about" Seras commented.

X remained silent for a moment, before he turned around and set off, closely followed by his team. As they exited the tunnel, they found themselves hit by a wave of the open air, which turned out to be worse than the filtered compound.

The darkness of space reigned down on them. Being so far from the local system's sun meant that the station was coated in seemingly endless night, and along with that, the blistering cold. As they entered the streets, the dirt gathered around their feet like water, bodies were seen either drunkenly staggering around or sleeping on the ground.

Asleep or dead, it was hard to tell.

The streets were coated in a neon red light, which originated form the large building in front of them. In large letters, intertwining with each other, the name Serpent's Pass glowed like a single beacon in the dark. There was a queue leading into the establishment, a mixture of humans and other various races dying to get in. All seemed oblivious to the disease around them.

"Well, at least we found it" Kid spoke out, putting his weapons away. X was about to respond, when a sharp sound entered his ear, and the voice of Leela filled his mask.

"_X, I'm receiving quarantine warnings surrounding the slums where Edward Elric has set up his clinic, it appears that violence is breaking out around the more deprived parts of Omega"_ she explained.

"Quarantine? What's happening to the area?" X asked.

"_I have insufficient data about the matter; all I know is that over the last few weeks there have been higher death rates over the slums of Omega than in most years. All seem to stem from some sort of virus"_ Leela evaluated.

"Great, just what we needed. Keep me updated at all times" X ordered. He looked at Seras and Kid, who had also received the information via radio.

"Looks like we've got another reason to go see Toph"

* * *

The Serpent's Pass was the last thing that X had expected to see. Instead of a gritty hideout of criminals and killers, he found himself in the confines of a deafening night club. Lights came down like lightning, switching to different shades of red, blue and purple. The music was skull-splittingly loud, enough so that he couldn't hear his own thoughts. Exotic dancers threw their bodies around on tables with idle watchers. Various bars and tables surrounded a giant cylinder of light located to it, various chains and platforms were attached to it, most likely for VIP visitors.

"Now this is my kind of place!" X grinned, taking in the scent of alcohol and sweat.

The trio slowly walked around the club, trying to catch sight of a certain blind girl. Along the way, X saw a variety people drinking at the bars. He even recognised a few of them, small timers from the old days. When they got a look at him, they immediately looked at their glasses and questioned what they had just been drinking.

"Hey, there's the spook from before" Kid commented.

X looked to see Chikusa standing guard by a set of stairs leading up to one of the higher platforms. As they went towards it, one of the dancers caught X's eye. She was a Waterbender with long brown hair and tanned skin. She was on all fours, swinging her hair to the beat, and a currently empty table. She caught him glancing and leaned forward, letting him see how tight her clothes actually were. She reached up and brought a hand to her chest, loosening it slightly, so even more of her body was exposed.

If it wasn't for Seras providing a strong punch to the arm, he would have probably taken up a seat and watched her dance all night.

"What's your deal?" X snapped.

"We do have a mission to complete, remember? Or were you so absorbed by that dancer's cleavage that you forgot?" Seras spat, venom in her words.

Heat flared in his face, from anger or embarrassment, he couldn't tell. Biting back his tongue, he walked over to Chikusa, who wordlessly motioned for him to head up to the higher platform.

Keeping half an eye on the guns that were strapped to his outfit, the thief made his way up, where the music became vividly quieter, and he could finally hear himself think. There at least a dozen figures on the platform, some standing while others were sprawled across the leather sofas.

However, only one interested the thief.

He walked towards a short figure that had her back facing him. She was dressed in dark purple robes, which by her exposed legs and arms, was presumably the only clothes she was wearing. Her hair was a jet black while her skin was ghostly white, and had an aroma of various flowers coming from her.

"That's far enough"

As soon as the last syllable had been uttered, all of the remaining figures on the platform took up arms and held them towards the Cerberus Operatives. Seras and Kid took up defensive stances, though were visibly outgunned.

X had two guards with their guns aimed directly at his head. A third one, a figure wearing a similar uniform to Chikusa, but had dirty blonde hair and a scar across his nose, stepped forward, standing between X and Toph.

"Lose the mask, punk" the figure ordered, which earned him a chuckle from the thief.

"Yeah, that's not going to happen" X responded, knocking the figures hand away. He didn't take it too happily by it and grabbed him by the throat.

"You're not listening asshole, I said give the mask before I tear out your-"

X grabbed the figures arm flung it to the side, taking the rest of his body with it. He flung both arms to the side and launched two storm projectiles, knocking the two other guards to the edges of the platform. He brought his arm in defence as the guard from before tried to tear his head off, he reversed it and threw the guard to the floor, before grabbing the arm, and dislocating it with a sickening crunch.

"Enough"

It wasn't a scream, or even a shout, but the command still made every guard on the platform freeze in fear. All was quiet except for the guard which X had disabled, who was crying out in pain from his dislocated arm, which the thief still had a tight grip on.

"You treat all your guests like this?" X asked.

The purple robed figure turned around, and X stared the infamous Toph in the face. She had a pleasant face, cute even. However, the appeal was warped by her expression. She was younger than X had expected, but in her face X saw an unflinching resolve, one that wasn't afraid to kill. Her eyes were a misty grey, exposing her blindness instantly.

"I don't get many dead men coming to see me, pardon the reception" she announced. She nodded to the other guards, who slowly withdrew their guns.

When Seras and Kid looked like they were out of danger, X released the figure, who dashed back like a mad animal. His eyes were blurred with teas and his mouth was bleeding from him biting his lower lip in pain.

"Bastard!" he yelled, preparing to lunge at him again.

"Ken, leave them" Toph's voice sharply intruded. The figure known as Ken glared at the thief and then back to the blind girl.

"He's got to be a fake! I'll tear away his mask and-"

A second later, a small pillar of earth arose from the platform beneath him. The pillar pummelled into Ken's chest, the impact caused him to be sent flying across the platform until he crashed into the edge of the sofa. One of his ribs was snapped off and protruding out of his chest, bloody coursing out of the wound. He howled in pain, though no one dared to make a move to help him.

"Anyone else feel like disagreeing?" Toph asked.

Everyone fell silent at the sudden display of power, which also shattered any preconceived conceptions X had had about the blind girl. She sat herself down upon the leather sofa and nodded her head to the side, motioning for X to take a seat.

The thief slowly slipped down onto the dark leather, his eyes scanning the girl's face. The power this girl possessed was quite daunting, especially for one as handicapped as her.

"So, you run Omega?" X asked.

"I am Omega" Toph sharply responded, turning her face towards the thief, the grey of her eyes giving her spectral appearance. X peered over at the bleeding mess of a guard on the floor. Two of his comrades were slowly dragging him away, but it didn't look like he'd be getting up anytime soon.

"Surprised a blind girl could do so much damage?" Toph asked, as if reading his mind.

"I'm surprised you didn't believe your subordinate, after all, I could just be some random asshole in a costume" X commented, spreading his arms out.

"With moves like that? I don't think so, don't do yourself a disrespect" Toph commented, a small smile appearing on her face.

"How could you know?" X asked.

"Because I'm blind?"

"Because your back was turned"

Toph's smile increased. She shifted herself over until she was directly opposite from him. It now became clear from the way her exposed legs shone in the neon light that the robe was her only item of clothing.

"I can see, just not with my eyes. I see through the earth, I feel people's every move, I felt move your well-developed muscles made, I felt every breath that coursed through your lungs" she explained.

She placed her finger on X's chest, and slowly moved down his stomach area. She outlined the shape of his abs through the shell of the suit, before feeling the underside of his thigh.

"Every beat of your heart echoed through me, it's quite the arousal actually" she grinned, placing one of her legs over his.

"Doesn't take a lot to impress you, does it?" X asked.

"Don't try to be smart, it takes a hell of a lot to impress me" Toph responded.

"Like me breaking your subordinates arm?"

"Like you coming back from the dead"

She leaned forward and brought her hands to his face, and began exploring his mask, rubbing her fingers over the design; she manoeuvred the rest of her small body onto his knee, squeezing her thighs around his.

"You're quite defensive about this, aren't you? If you were some imposter, then you wouldn't have risked attacking one of my guards to keep your face a secret. I could have killed you right then and there" she murmured.

X caught both of her wrists and slowly pushed her back.

"You could have tried" he replied.

Like a snake, Toph slowly slid off of the thief, but still kept her cryptic smile. X felt a small wave of relief wash over him, that girl was intoxication in every sense of the word.

"People come to me for only one thing; information, so you'd better ask away, or I might decide that you take my fancy, and then you'd never be able to leave" she smirked.

X's eyes narrowed. This girl was dangerous, even the Millennium Earl didn't have this much presence.

"I'm looking for a guy by the name of Edward Elric" X explained.

"The alchemist? Last I heard he was trying to help plague victims in the quarantined zone. I always liked Edward, he was as likely to heal you as he is to slice you in half. Just make sure you don't call him short, otherwise he never shuts up" she chuckled.

"Plague? Is that why people in the slums have been dying recently?" X asked.

"You mean more than the usual? Yes, some kind of airborne disease has been killing off certain races, mostly Shinigami, Arrancar and Elemental Benders. Humans on the other hand have been immune" she explained.

"What?" X asked in surprise.

"The area was quarantined a few weeks ago, though that's done nothing to stop the riots breaking out" Toph explained further.

"Everyone's blaming the humans for the outbreak?" X asked, quickly deducing the cause of the violence.

"Other than those disgusting Akuma, humans are the only ones that aren't affected, makes them the prime suspects" Toph shrugged.

"You said Elric was in the quarantined zone? How do I get there?" X asked.

"You're an eager one aren't you? Take the shuttle, though it's unlikely you'll get in" she smirked.

X sharply got to his feet and gathered himself before heading down form the platform. He turned his head and sent the blind girl an unsure look.

"Thanks for the help" he called out.

"Just try not to bring the plague back with you" she replied, grey eyes following him like they belonged to a hawk. The Queen of Omega felt the thief's heartbeat start to settle as he headed off with his two companions. She smiled to herself; she had definitely left her mark.


	20. The Alchemist: Part II

Cerberus Rising

Stage Two: Kings and Queens

Chapter Four: The Alchemist Part II – Quarantine 

"You are unbelievable" Seras hissed as they exited the shuttle to the quarantined zone of Omega. The decay was visible, as accommodations seemed to become more broken as they headed towards their destination.

"What? I found out where the Alchemist is, plus I scored points with Omega's queen bee. As far as I see it that was a total success" X responded in offence.

"Oh you were trying to score alright" she snorted, putting fresh ammo into Vladimir in preparation for possible resistance. After all, this was where all the violence was spawning from, so it was likely things were going to turn ugly.

"Wait, wait, that's why you're so pissed off? You're upset because the blind girl was overly friendly?" X asked, eyebrows widening.

"That's a mild way of putting it. She was practically on your lap the entire time!" she retorted, slinging the giant weapon over her shoulder.

"Hey! She was coming on to me! I was the victim in all this!" X snapped back, holding his arms up in defence.

"Oh yes, you fought with all of your strength. Please, you were practically encouraging it! I'm starting to fear that between the times you stop to ogle every woman that passes you by, the Collectors will have taken every human colony in the Terminus System" she snapped back.

She realised that may have seemed a little harsh, and in fairness the only woman he really did seem to crave attention from was that quarian (why? The reason completely eluded her) but she had said it none the less, and it wasn't in her nature to apologise.

Her sapphire blue eyes met with dark crimson ones. Despite being to guess his emotions from his heartbeat, his rate of breathing, and his movements, she couldn't truly guess what the masked man was thinking. He could be smug, fearful, vengeful or frustrated and it would all look the same to her. That fact infuriated her. It was her business to know what others around her were thinking, it was how she had always been.

"…You're jealous" X finally responded.

All sense of composure immediately went down the drain in an instant. In a burst of anger, Seras's eyes switched to a much darker red which was not unlike the eyes of her counterpart's mask.

"W-What?" she stammered.

"You're jealous of the fact that I don't look at you like I do other girls, I guess you must be upset that you're not my type. Understandable" X sighed, as if it were a tragedy.

Seras's face went a bitter scarlet, her sharpened teeth clenching in anger at the thief's comments, and made all the worse by the thief's attitude. She swore he was smiling under that damn mask, and that made her blood boil.

"Bastard! For your information, I find you to be the most despicable human being I have ever met in my entire life! I don't what the Illusive Man was thinking bringing you back! And I'll have you know I'm grateful that I don't qualify as attractive in your mind, because I'd rather shoot myself than be stuck with an annoying, egocentric an underhanded thief!" she howled, not pausing for breath.

Kid, who had been watching at the back, felt this face fall into the palm of his hand. The two of them were his commanding officers, so he had no say in the matter, but it was becoming evidently clear that the two of them would kill each other before they even made it to the medical facility.

X was quiet for a moment, before speaking out again, much calmer yet much more serious this time.

"Somebody didn't love you as a little girl, did they?" he asked.

Seras froze. Her eyes returned to their sky blue colour and her body became so still it was if she were made of stone. Her expression was one of horror, as if she were staring at a ghost, a ghost come back to haunt her from some shadowy area of her past.

For a single moment, he had completely shattered her guard.

X chuckled slightly; he gave her a firm punch on the shoulder which broke her out of her train of thought. She recovered as best she could, and put on a face that showed she was still angry with him.

"I'm just messing with you, come on, let's grab this Elric guy at leave before the allure of the Serpent's Pass calls me back" X commented, heading deeper into the slums.

Seras watched him like a hawk, but did not dare move. She had broken down, for a split second she had lost contact with reality. A sickening fear grew in her stomach, a fear that she knew to be accurate. He had read her, he had figured her out.

But what was most frightening, was that he had let it go. He had found a weak point in her indestructible wall, and chose to avoid it. It was a mercy, it was a human act. An act that she had thought he was incapable of doing.

He had seen past her armour, yet he had sparred her the pain of asking questions. He was sharper than she had previously thought.

"Seras? You okay?" Kid asked.

"Y-Yeah, let's just stay focused on the mission" she replied with a weak smile.

She sighed internally. He had spared her the pain of remembering, just so that they could bear to work together for this single mission. It was an act that was expected of a leader, one than she had not anticipated.

All she could do now was return the favour, and follow him deeper in the gruelling unknown.

* * *

"I told you, the plague has this whole zone quarantined! Nobody gets in or out, so get lost!" the Shinigami yelled.

"I'm human, asshole! Humans are immune to the plague, now step aside and let me through so I can get my stuff before it all gets looted!" the woman snapped back.

The entrance to the quarantined zone looked just as run down as the rest of the slums. An encrypted steel door was all that stood between the virus-infected area and the rest of Omega. The only guard stationed there was a Shinigami with dark purple hair and three scars along the left side of his face. The female was definitely human, and looked like she worked in an office of sorts. X was surprised that ordinary people even attempted to live on Omega, with so much death and decay and it just didn't seem worth it.

"I'm not going to risk mass infection just because your stuff may get stolen! My orders are clear, no one gets in until this plague has run its course" the Shinigami snarled.

X stepped forward, drawing the attention away from the woman. The Shinigami's relaxed posture when confronting the woman immediately changed to something far more military. The appearance of the suit was enough to make him focus his entire gaze on the thief, weapon in hand.

"The hell do you people want? I was just trying to tell this broad that the area is closed off, scram" The Shinigami hissed.

"Can't do that, I've got business with a guy called Edward Elric" X explained, folding his arms in defiance.

"The Alchemist? Crazy bastard opened a clinic here a few weeks ago, trying to help deal with the plague. The Varia weren't too happy about that" the Shinigami exiled, relaxing ever so slightly.

"The Varia?" X asked.

"You must be new here; they're one of the major merc groups on Omega. They've occupied the entire slums. My orders are to wait until this plague ends or until the Varia kill everyone inside, before going in and picking up the pieces" the Shinigami explained.

"In that case, you better stand aside and let us in" X demanded.

"Why should I do that?" the Shinigami asked.

"You can either stay stuck out here for weeks while the virus keeps killing people off, or you can let me in and I'll take care of it. Besides, we're not exactly amateurs when it comes to dealing with death" X instructed.

"Far from it" Seras added, exposing the weapon in her arms.

"You want to take on a group of pissed off mercs? Fine by me, besides the quarantine is really for keeping the infected in. Don't say I didn't warn you" the Shinigami shrugged.

"Wait, you're letting them in? You son of a bitch!" the human snapped, pointing her finger at him accusingly.

"You don't have a rocket launcher, get lost lady" the Shinigami snarled. In a huff, the human stormed off, muttering a whole host of curses under her breath.

"I'll radio in and get you clearance, but once you've entered Varia territories then you're on your own, hope you've got good life insurance" the Shinigami grunted.

"Just make the call" X insisted. The Shinigami activated his omni-tool, switching to a friendly radio frequency and spoke clearly into the holographic tool.

"This is Lieutenant Shusei Hisagi, I have three armed humans ready to enter the quarantined zone, permission has been granted, allow safe passage through to the hot zone" the Shinigami ordered.

* * *

"What a waste of my time, who does the boss think I am?" the figure snarled. He was short, draped in black robes that even covered his face, though you could tell he was snarling.

"Oh Mammon, will you just relax for once! I'm sure Master Xanxus knows exactly what he is doing, after all, he is going to surpass that witch Toph one day soon, and we are just cogs in his magnificent design! Why, we should be honoured!" the second figure grinned. He was very extravagant-looking, wearing orange sunglasses along with long green hair. He was also draped in the same black clothing as his partner, though they each seemed to have conflicting convictions at the moment.

"…You really are desperate to sleep with, aren't you Lussaria?" the figure known as Mammon snorted.

"Hey! While that may be a long running fantasy of mine, I will not allow you to say it as if it were a taboo! Levi would agree that Xanxus is a fantastic man! One who is truly worthy of ruling Omega!" the figure known as Lussaria snapped back.

"If he was smart he wouldn't have split our forces down the middle. What the hell is he thinking? Teaming up with the CPX and Millennium, it's a disgrace to what the Varia stand for!" Mammon spat out.

"Ice Dragon must be giving them a lot of trouble for him to go such extremes" Lussaira shrugged.

"To go as far as to hire petty thugs as freelancers, how can one Shinigami cause anyone this much trouble? If he's such a threat then Xanxus would have called in all of Varia's forces in one go" Mammon hissed.

Lussaria was about to respond, when the sound of footsteps caught their attention. They turned to see three figures enter the confines of the storage bay. All previous conversation died, and the pair faced the trio with hostility.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here? I thought they had quarantined the whole area off" Lussaria, excited by the prospect of killing his boredom.

"You two part of the Varia?" X asked as he approached.

"You couldn't tell by the stylish colour of our uniforms? Looks like we have outsiders in our midst and such beautiful ones at that" Lussaria giggled.

"We have our orders, kill any who come close" Mammon snarled.

"Really? What a pity, I really do hate it when we have to kill such good-looking people. Oh well, at least I'll get that dashing suit as a prize" Lussaria chuckled.

Without a second's hesitation, Lussaira leapt forward at dangerous speed. It was now evident that underneath his cloak, heavy metal pads were attacked to his knees. From appearance alone they looked quite heavy, but from how quickly Lussaria moved you would have thought they were no lighter than paper. That alone showed how physically strong he was, and just how deadly that impact would be.

There was a thunderous crash as impact was indeed made. However, the only thing that was shattered was the concrete beneath him. Lussaira, momentarily stunned form the recoil, looked around to see that masked figure had indeed vanished.

"I really don't have time for this"

A gloved fist shot across from the right, nailing Lussaria directly in the face. He was sent spiralling to the floor, his glasses broken and his jaw fractured from the sudden hit. X materialised, massaging his knuckle.

"Sorry, but you punks are in my way"

There was a spark of blue flames across the back of X's gauntlets. The metallic plates instantly connected, and the familiar set of giant blades shot out from the wrists, just as menacing as they were on Freedom's Progress.

"I'm going to kill you twice over"


End file.
